No more swivel chairs for world leaders attending APEC Summit in Manila
PH Pres. Benigno Aquino III inspects APEC venue. Photo: Malacanang In one of its front page trivia, the Philippines News Agency came out with a news dispatch which states that the 21 world leaders who are set to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila on November 17, 2015, would be using fixed chairs, instead of the normal swivel chairs that allow the leader to have the freedom to turn around whenever he wants to do so during formal sessions. Admittedly, this news story is new. And this is the first time that a host country like the Philippines has used this new strategy to perhaps, curtail the bad mannerism of a particular world leader. To some, this might be misconstrued as an unacceptable imposition of something beyond human rational behavior. If it is, I simply don't agree with this view. What is really the essence why the host country decides to deviate from using the usual swivel chair? In his words, Philippines' Communication Secretar