Manila ready for APEC meet, holiday
Business as usual with some changes
It’s all systems go for the week-long meetings that will culminate the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC) annual gathering beginning today, with both the public and private sectors taking their places for this year’s biggest event.
The Aquino administration, which will cap its global pitch of the country’s economic progress with the APEC meeting, has said it is prepared to host its third global gathering in five years, welcoming 17 leaders from South Korea to the US.
But for the rest of the National Capital Region (NCR), the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meetings mean a long holiday that will begin tomorrow until Friday. Malacañang, through Proclamation No. 1072, has suspended work in public offices from Nov. 17 to 20.
The Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education, meanwhile, followed suit with class cancellations in all levels during the period, while private sector workers have a shorter break from Nov. 18 to 19.
These cancellations and suspensions have triggered a wave of similar actions from flights in and out of the country to railway operations. On the other hand, some private sector installations said they will remain open for service for the entire week.
Banks, financial markets
In a notice last Nov. 11, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said banks in Metro Manila are expected to operate “business as usual”, although some select branches may be closed as determined by respective banks.
BDO Unibank Inc., the country’s largest in asset terms, said it’s non-mall branches will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the APEC meetings. Those located in malls will be open until 4 p.m., while its branch at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will serve until 10 p.m.
“Branches outside NCR will follow regular banking schedule,” an advisory at the BDO website said. Automated teller machines and electronic banking will remain functional throughout the week.
Meanwhile, NCR branches of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) and BPI Family Savings Bank “will be closed on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19.” The Ayala-led lender said regular operations will resume Nov. 20.
“We encourage everyone to plan and complete their transactions, including cash withdrawals, ahead of this scheduled holiday,” it said in a separate advisory.
The Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., on the other hand, said processing of fund transfers will be “real- time,” but bills payment will be credited a day after the transaction is made.
Trading at the Philippine Stock Exchange and the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp. are suspended from Nov. 18 to 19 only. As a result, checks deposited after cut-off
time on Tuesday will be credited only by Friday.
Malls
The biggest mall operators also assured the public that operations will be normal during the APEC holidays.
Ayala Corp. communications manager Suzette Naval said the company’s Metro Manila malls will have “no change” in operations, and will depend on respective mall hours. Among Ayala’s shopping centers are Greenbelt and Glorietta in Makati City.
SM Investments Corp. SVP for Investor Relations Corazon Guidote said all SM malls “will be operating in normal hours.” SM has 18 malls in Metro Manila.
LRT, MRT-3
While some of Manila’s main roads such as the Roxas Boulevard will be closed to traffic, railway systems will remain open.
Light Rail Manila Corp. (LRMC) president Jesus Francisco said the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) will run at normal hours, but there will be “less trains.” LRMC is the private operator of the LRT-1 that runs from Recto in Manila to Balintawak in Quezon City.
“From Tuesday to Friday (this week), the trains will be reduced from the usual 28 to only 26,” Francisco said in a text message. This, he said, would mean longer intervals and waiting time.
“Since there are no classes and work is suspended, we expect less people” to use the trains, he explained.
Meanwhile, the Metro Rail Transit-3 (MRT-3), which runs along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), has so far not announced any schedule changes despite its route running along APEC lanes.
BPO industry
Not all are set to enjoy a long holiday however. The 1.2 million workers of the country’s booming Information Technology- Business Process Outsourcing industry (IT-BPO) will still have to work since it is not a holiday in their company home countries.
Nevertheless, provisions such as shuttle services have already been put in place for employees, said IT-BPO Association of the Philippines president Jose Mari Mercado.
“We have coordinated with the government on this. That’s already standard operating procedure: whenever there are events like these, arrangements are set in place already,” Mercado said in a phone interview.
“There may be some inconvenience, but operations are expected to be normal,” he added.
Overseas remittances
Suspension of clearing operations from Nov. 18 to 19 means overseas remittances deposited on Nov. 17 will only be credited by Nov. 20, the BSP said.
Customs
In the public sector, the Bureau of Customs said last Friday that all its personnel will be on duty to clear shipments during the APEC holiday. The Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port will also be operational.
“The public is assured that Customs employees assigned to operations, and assessment are working on a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift even on weekends,” the bureau said in a statement.