BAGUIO CITY – This mountain resort city will no longer be the venue for the 23rd staging of the prestigious Philippine Advertising Congress after organizers withdrew due to safety reasons.

The Philippine Advertising Board sent an official letter to Mayor Reinaldo A. Bautista Jr. informing him of the group’s decision to withdraw the staging of the Ad Congress in the city, citing concerns for the safety of their sponsors and participants after Baguio was heavily devastated by the onslaught of Typhoon Pepeng.

The Ad Board is currently scouting other possible venues for the Congress, which will be scaled down to reflect sentiments about the latest disasters that struck the country.

Contrary to posted items in internet social networking sites that the Ad Congress will be brought instead to Subic, organizers of the biennial event said there is still no new venue since the decision to withdraw from Baguio city came late.

Aside from scaling down the activities lined up for the three-day event, the Philippine Advertising Board will also allocate part of the proceeds of the Ad Congress for relief operations to calamity victims in sympathy for those who were affected by the recent disasters.

The Ad Board decided to withdraw the Ad Congress from Baguio since roads leading to the city have become too dangerous and travel time was extended from six to nine hours after a re-routing plan was enforced due to the damage to both lowland and highland infrastructure.

While the organizers had a difficult time deciding on the withdrawal, sources claimed the safety of the sponsors and the advertisers was their primordial concern in making such decision.

Local tourism industry stakeholders were saddened by the withdrawal, calling it a huge setback to the city’s booming tourism industry which was supposed to reach its peak during the event.

Over 4,000 delegates were expected to attend the Ad Congress scheduled from November 18 to 21, 2009 in different venues here.

The Ad Congress is a showcase event where the latest trends are discussed by leading media and advertising industry leaders.

Earlier, officials of the Baguio Conventions and Visitors Bureau vowed to exert extra efforts to convince the Ad Board to reconsider its decision, assuring that most of the devastated areas, including the roads leading to the city, will be in excellent condition before the event starts.