Useful Information for Participants

Follow‐up Meeting of the Connect Asia‐Pacific Summit & the Launch of ADB/ITU Initiative on ICT for Development in the Asia‐ Pacific Region (ICTD‐ASP) 29‐30 April 2014 ADB HQs, Manila,

INFORMATION

1. General

The ADB/ITU Meeting is scheduled to be held at the Asia Development Bank (ADB) from 29th to 30th April 2014.

Meeting Venue ADB Auditorium zone A and B Asia Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Manila, Philippines 1550 www.adb.org

Pre‐Registration

Participants are requested to register for the meeting using the Registration Form available for download at: http://www.itu.int/ITU‐D/asp/CMS/Events/2014/ICTD‐ASP/index.asp and return the completed form to:

Ms. Tanitta Virayavanich ITU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Email: [email protected] Tel: +66 2575 0055 Fax: +66 2575 3507

On‐site Registration

The event will be opened for registration at 0800hrs on Tuesday, 29th April 2014 at the corridor in front of the meeting room. When accessing the ADB, participants are required to contact the main reception and obtain a badge.

For identification and security reasons, all participants are requested to wear their meeting badges at all times in the ADB complex, and during the meeting. In case of the loss of a meeting badge, please contact the Meeting Secretariat so that a new one can be issued immediately. Useful Information for Participants

2. Visa Requirements

It is strongly recommended that Participants and accompanying individuals who require visas for entry to the Philippines should check with a Consulates or Philippine Embassy regarding visa requirements.

Guidelines on the Entry of Temporary Visitors to the Philippines

Nationals from countries listed below who are traveling to the Philippines for business and tourism purposes are allowed to enter the Philippines without visas for a stay not exceeding twenty‐one (21) days, provided they hold valid tickets for their return journey to port of origin or next port of destination and their passports valid for a period of at least six (6) months beyond the contemplated period of stay. However, Immigration Officers at ports of entry may exercise their discretion to admit holders of passports valid for at least sixty (60) days beyond the intended period of stay.

Nationals from the following countries are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa for a period of stay of twenty‐one (21) days or less:

1. Brunei Darussalam 10. China 2. Cambodia 11. European Union 3. Indonesia 12. India 4. Lao PDR 13. Japan 5. Malaysia 14. Republic of Korea 6. Myanmar 15. United States of America 7. Singapore 8. Thailand 9. Viet Nam

Important Note

Foreign Nationals who are subject of deportation/blacklist orders of the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Immigration shall not be admitted to the Philippines. Further inquiries may be addressed to the Visa Division (Telephone numbers: 556‐0000 and ask the operator to connect you to Visa Division), Department of Foreign Affairs, 2330 , Pasay City or to any Philippine Embassy or Consulate abroad.

3. Travel/Medical Insurance

The host country shall not bear the cost of travel, insurance, medical and other incidental expenses of the participants. The host country kindly requests the participants to make the necessary arrangement for insurance and medical coverage before attending the meeting.

4. Hotel Accommodation

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The following hotels have been designated as recommended hotels. They are relatively close to the ADB. The room rates indicated below are special rates offered to bookings through the ADB only and are inclusive of service charge and value added tax.

Waking Daily room rates Name and address distance Inclusions (Php) to ADB

(min.)

Discovery Suites daily buffet breakfast 4,800 net 0.2 Km 25 ADB Avenue, , and internet access City, 1600 Philippines (3 min.)

Holiday Inn. 0.3 Km daily buffet breakfast 4,250 net 1 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig and internet access City, 1655 Philippines (4 min.)

Oakwood 0.2 Km daily buffet breakfast 5,200 net 17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig and internet access City, 1600, Philippines (2 min.)

Marco Polo Hotel, Ortigas 0.8 Km daily buffet breakfast 4,900 net Avenue and Sapphire Street and internet access Ortigas Centre, Pasig City, 1600 (10 min.)

Shuttle Bus

ADB could arrange rent‐a‐car transport service which charges Php 700‐800 per way.

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Country delegates and participants are required to contact the ADB for hotel booking and any further information:

Ms. Lala Faustino‐Chan Public Management, Governance and Participation Regional and Sustainable Development Department Asian Development Bank e‐mail: [email protected] Tel: (632) 632 6626

5. Transport upon Arrival

Participants are requested to provide details of their flight arrangements to the Secretariat when they send the Registration Form. Further information about transport arrangements will be provided to successful registered participants.

6. Weather and Climate

The Philippine weather is hot and humid all throughout the year. But between the months of November and February the climate is cooler. The hottest month is May and the temperature is around 83° F or 28° C. On the other hand the rainy season is between the months of June and October.

The Philippines is a tropical country and has two seasons ‐ the wet and the dry season. The dry season is between the months of late October to May. The temperature ranges from the cool to breezy while the weather during the summer season would range from 75° F to 93° F.

7. Foreign Currency Exchange

The local currency is Philippine peso. Currency exchange facilities are available at the airport, major shopping malls, and at the accredited hotels. The currency exchange rate as of March 2014 is 1US$=P44.67 (Please note that rates vary every day).

8. Language

Cebu language is Cebuano, an Austronesian language. This language falls within the family of Visayan language. The inhabitants of Cebu, Bohol, Negros, Oriental, parts of Leyte and Samar islands speak Cebuano. However, Tagalog and English are widely spoken.

9. Meeting documents

All documents related to the Meeting documents will be available online at: http://www.itu.int/ITU‐D/asp/CMS/Events/2014/ICTD‐ASP/index.asp. Please note that the

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Meeting is paperless and hence participants are required to print any documents about the Meeting and bring with them prior to the Meeting.

10. Time

The time in Manila is 6 hours ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +6).

11. Electricity & Power Plug

The standard electricity in the Philippines is 220V @ 60 Hertz. Philippine Plug Adapters and Outlet Shapes:

12. Public Transportation Options

There are several Airport Pickup options upon arriving at Mactan Cebu International Airport:

. CAR RENTAL ‐ At the arrival area you will see the Transport Services booth. . There are cars, AUVs (Innova) and vans available for rent. . YELLOW TAXI ‐ Yellow taxis are found outside the arrival area. These are metered airport taxis with rates approximately twice that of the regular white taxi.

Rates of the yellow taxi and car rental are approximately the same. However, car rental rates are fixed while yellow taxi rates may vary depending on the destination. Some white taxis may occasionally be found at the arrival area, though these are very few in number and not always readily available, unlike the other two options.

13. Organisers

The meeting is organised by:

Asian Development Bank International Telecommunication Union Contact person: Contact person: Mr. Seok‐Yong Yoon Mr. Wisit Atipayakoon Tel: +63 2683 1741 Tel: +66 2575 0055 Fax: +66 2575 3507 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

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