APEC lanes identified; no-fly zone, truck ban in place

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has appealed to the public to cooperate in the enforcement of special road lanes for the exclusive use of delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit this month as well as the truck ban and no-fly zone at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

As host, the Philippines will be welcoming leaders and delegates from 21 member-economies participating in the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM) to be held in Manila from Nov. 18 to 19, which have been declared as special non-working days.

To minimize inconvenience to the public, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said traffic and rerouting schemes would be implemented from Nov. 16 to 20 during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.

“Notably, special APEC lanes will be set up along EDSA and Roxas Boulevard. For EDSA, only APEC vehicles will be allowed on the two innermost lanes of both the northbound and southbound sides. All other lanes, however, would remain open to non-APEC vehicles,” Lacierda said.

For Roxas Boulevard, only APEC vehicles will be allowed on the southbound side, while the entire northbound side, which will be converted into a two-way road, will remain open to non-APEC vehicles, he said.

In the interest of security, Lacierda said certain roads around the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex and Mall of Asia area would also be closed to traffic. 

In addition, there will be a daytime truck ban along the south truck route (from the Port of Manila to the South Luzon Expressway) from Nov. 16 to 20. 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.

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 Nov. 17, 19 and 20, and that a no-fly zone will be implemented on these dates. 

Flight cancellations have been announced by commercial airlines to give way to APEC visitors.

“Travelers are advised to take note of these advisories and plan their trips accordingly,” Lacierda said.

“We are hoping for the public’s understanding. These changes are necessary to ensure the security of our APEC visitors, and to decongest their routes as they travel between venues,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said the Philippines would reap many benefits from this hosting, which has already boosted our reputation as a prime tourism and business destination.

He expressed hope that the public would be able to work with traffic and security officers toward a successful conclusion of the country’s APEC hosting.

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has now focused on the security of the APEC summit, a police official said yesterday.

NCRPO chief Director Joel Pagdilao said they would start the simulation and timing training for policemen assigned along the routes of convoy and billeting areas of the 22 heads of economies arriving for the APEC conference.

“We wanted to know how the deployed policemen would react before and after the visitors pass by their area or in the hotels where they are billeted,” said Pagdilao, noting that they are still in the process of fine-tuning some important aspects of their security preparations for the APEC summit.

The NCRPO chief said the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) is also at the height of preparations for the convoy security, while elements of the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) are gearing up for the close-in security of the foreign visitors.

All police units involved in APEC security would gather today at Camp Crame, Quezon City to brief Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ricardo Marquez on the progress of their security preparations for the APEC gathering.

Marquez is the over-all head of the APEC security.

Meanwhile, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) proposed that the APEC delegates should eat vegetarian dishes during the summit to show that the foreign leaders are serious with the campaign against climate change.

In a statement, PETA said yesterday that they are holding the leaders of the APEC members to their promise to prioritize the issue of climate change during their meeting in Manila this month.

“And one way to bring climate change front and center is by adopting a vegan menu for the Manila events,” said PETA-Asia vice president of international operations Jason Baker.

He said they have written a letter to APEC Secretariat executive director Alan Bollard and asked that they be “environmentally responsible” and take an “animal-friendly step of making the menu at the upcoming APEC events in Manila entirely vegan.” With Non Alquitran, Evelyn Macairan