Motorists told to avoid Roxas Boulevard during Asean summit
The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) yesterday reminded motorists to avoid Roxas Boulevard and parts of Pasay City next week because these will be closed to traffic for the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
PCOO Assistant Secretary Kristian Ablan said the road closures in Roxas Boulevard, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex and Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) complex are expected to cause heavy traffic.
“You know that there will be road closures so please avoid CCP complex, PICC complex, and Roxas Boulevard especially on Nov. 13 to 15. Please do not complain about the traffic because you have been warned,” Ablan said.
There will be a complete lockdown of the SMX-MAAX Block, Pasay City on Nov. 11 and the CCP complex starting on Nov. 12. Roxas Boulevard starting from Padre Burgos Ave. to Buendia Ave. in Manila will also be closed to traffic on Nov. 13.
Ablan encouraged the public to monitor the ASEAN meetings and agreements to be forged by member countries and development partners. He said those who are interested in ASEAN updates may go to the ASEAN 2017 or PCOO Facebook page or watch staterun television PTV 4.
President Duterte has declared Nov. 13 to 15 as special non-working days in Metro Manila, Bulacan and Pampanga because of the summit. The Metro Manila Council has also suspended classes on Nov. 16 and 17.
Heads of states and officials from ASEAN member countries and dialogue partners Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, the United States and the European Union will join the summit.
One of the agreements that may be signed during the summit is a consensus that promotes the rights of migrant workers.
“This is a big step… The human rights of our migrant workers within the ASEAN region will be protected,” Ablan said.
Another highlight of the summit is the turnover of the ASEAN chairmanship to Singapore.
Tight security
Tight security is now being implemented at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals prior to the arrival of seven foreign heads of state who will attend the ASEAN summit.
Checkpoints, bomb-sniffing dogs and security personnel are now deployed in the area to protect the arriving world leaders and thousands of travelers.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Ed Monreal said that all heads of security, terminal managers and the Special Operations Unit of the Philippine National Police are now in place covering the four NAIA terminals to ensure that all corners of the airport are properly manned.
The seven world leaders expected to arrive are US President Donald Trump, XI Jinping of China, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, President Ram Nath Kovind of India, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei and President Halimah Yacob of Singapore.
Trump is on official trip to Japan and China before proceeding on Sunday to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN.
Meanwhile, international and local airlines operating at the NAIA terminals like Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) urged their clients traveling this week until Nov. 15 to allot sufficient time going to the airport to avoid missing their flights in anticipation of heavy traffic due to road closures in connection with the upcoming summit. PAL and CEB and the members of the Airline Operators Council (AOC) operating at the NAIA terminals appealed to all passengers traveling from Nov. 8 to 15, particularly to and from NAIA to plan their routes to get to the airport as soon as possible so not to be caught by traffic that might lead to missed flights. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority announced earlier that some major streets in the metropolis will experience traffic congestion during the 31st ASEAN summit.