CEBU CITY -- It won't just be a picnic in the park for the spouses of Asia-Pacific leaders this weekend -- it'll also be fireworks, sumptuous meals and even a choreographed "boat ballet".

While presidents and prime ministers are grappling with poverty, terrorism and the state of East Asia's economies, their wives (and husbands) will be getting the full-on cultural experience in the Philippine resort of Cebu.

Leading the charge will be the country's so-called First Gentleman -- Philippine President Gloria Arroyo's husband Jose Miguel, also known as Mike.

"What we have learned from the First Gentleman is that the programme for the spouses should be just as important as that of the heads of state," Margot Osmena, the wife of the mayor of Cebu, said. "What we want to do is show something of our culture, the people and life in Cebu. Because at the end of the day, we don't have that many museums," she told AFP.

The country's second city after the capital Manila, Cebu is a study in contrasts -- slums of crushing poverty bunched next to glittering beachfront resorts.

It's also where famed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan met his doom, killed by local warriors in the Battle of Mactan in 1521.

"We don't really want to play that part up too much," Osmena said.

But a recreation of the battle will be part of the festivities for the weekend, which she said would look at the influences of the Spanish, Malays and Chinese on the culture of the Philippines. The party will be wined and dined by the First Gentleman on Saturday night in an old customs house overlooking the sea and known locally as the Malacañang Palace of the South -- a reference to the Philippine presidential residence.

They will be treated to a fireworks show as well as a choreographed maritime display billed as a "boat ballet".

On Sunday there will be a bus tour, a performance by children's choirs and that old staple of romance -- a picnic in the park.

But while the Philippine government and local officials in Cebu want to put on the best possible show, it's not clear how many spouses will even bother to turn up.

Only four had confirmed their attendance by Thursday, anguished local media reports said.

Summit spokesman Victoriano Lecaros said some leaders customarily did not bring their spouses on such trips.*AFP

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