Chief Secretary to Government Ivan Pomaleu, OBE has rubbished a social media post purportedly attributed to him that claim the Government has committed K500 million to host APEC 2033.

This comes after a fake social media post on Facebook which was published by the ‘PNG Happenings Today’, with a title “PNG Commits K500 Investment to host APEC 2033’’.

This news appears to be misleading and possibly fabricated with several inconsistencies without any credible source or official announcements collaborate to this claim.

Chief Secretary Pomaleu clarified that  announcing future financial commitments on major national policy matters is not the responsibility of his office.

He  said  such  announcements will  be  properly  made  by  the  Prime  Minister or  the relevant Minister and long-term commitments like this usually involve gradual announcement with detailed planning stages.

Mr. Pomaleu further clarified that the National Executive Council has endorsed Papua New Guinea to host APEC again in 2033, and it is not credible to settle detailed financial forecasts seven years in advance.

APEC 2033 will occur during the 13th Parliament, and it is the responsibility of that Parliament and the government then in office to confirm to the nation what resources will be required to host the event.

“Any contribution from my office to this process will be limited to developing a road map, domestication of current policy outcomes and undertaking some capacity‑building work to prepare for planning and implementation,” he said.

The  Chief  Secretary  urged  the  Public  to  rely  on  Official  Government  channels  for accurate information and to disregard unauthorized social media posts attributing commitments to Government officials.