Palace issues road advisories for APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

(Photo from Wikipedia)

MANILA—Malacañang announced on Monday road advisories to be implemented in Metro Manila during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week on Nov. 16 to 20.

“As host of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, the Philippines will be welcoming leaders and delegates from all over the world for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM), which will be held in Manila from November 18 to 19. These dates have earlier been announced as special non-working days,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

“To further minimize inconvenience to the public, the government has released information on traffic and rerouting schemes to be implemented in Metro Manila from November 16 to 20, during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week,” he further said.

The Palace official said special APEC lanes will be set up along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) and Roxas Boulevard.

“For EDSA, only APEC vehicles will be allowed on the innermost two lanes of both the northbound and southbound sides. All other lanes, however, will remain open for non-APEC vehicles. For Roxas Boulevard, only APEC vehicles will be allowed on the southbound side, while the entire northbound side—which will be made two-way—will remain open for non-APEC vehicles,” Secretary Lacierda explained.

He noted that for security reasons, certain roads around the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex and the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena area will also be closed for traffic.

“In addition, from November 16 to 20, there will be a daytime truck ban along the South Truck Route. Trucks will only be allowed to use the route from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Roxas Boulevard, however, will remain under a 24-hour truck ban,” he added.

Lacierda said the complete list of road advisories is available on the APEC website apec2015.ph.

“The full list of road advisories, including infographics and alternate routes, is available on the APEC Philippines website, apec2015.ph. The page also contains a reminder that security will be tight at all NAIA Terminals on November 17, 19, and 20, and that a no-fly zone will be implemented on these dates. Travelers are advised to take note of these advisories and plan their trips accordingly,” he added.

Emphasizing the importance of the APEC hosting, Lacierda sought the public’s understanding with regards to the traffic and rerouting schemes.

“These changes are necessary to ensure the security of our APEC visitors, and to decongest their routes as they travel between venues. Again, we wish to emphasize that the Philippines stands to reap many benefits from this hosting, which has already boosted our reputation as a prime tourism and business destination. It is our hope that the public will be able to work with our traffic and security officers toward a successful conclusion to our APEC hosting year,” he said.