‘Too many roads closed for APEC’

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Vicente Sotto III yesterday echoed the sentiments of commuters and motorists who suffered after being stuck in heavy traffic caused by road closures in Metro Manila for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

“Though the preparations were OK, there is definitely something wrong with the execution. They want the entire APEC area closed? Fine, but why include roads that are far from the APEC venue? There are APEC lanes anyway. It’s silly, to say the least sobrang epal,” Sotto said.

Sotto said he had to walk from Buendia to McKinley Road just to reach the Manila Polo Club where members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal met and voted on the disqualification case against Sen. Grace Poe on Tuesday.

He said the stretch of EDSA, from Ayala Avenue to Roxas Boulevard, was closed to traffic.

Sotto lamented that workers were unable to go to work while hundreds of commuters were stranded.

Comedian and TV host Vic Sotto made the traffic jams a butt of jokes on Eat Bulaga’s kalyeserye segment yesterday.

For his part, Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said the government should have had the foresight to deploy vehicles to give free rides to stranded commuters.

He said commuters, including children and the elderly, had to walk from Pasay EDSA to Magallanes all the way to Parañaque City.

Gatchalian added several ambulances with patients were stuck in traffic.

Demonstrators protesting the APEC Leaders’ summit were blocked by anti-riot police in different parts of Metro Manila yesterday.

Wearing animal costumes, members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) tried to enter Ayala Avenue but were stopped by police along Amorsolo street at 10:30 a.m. – With Mike Frialde, Perseus Echeminada, Evelyn Macairan, Rhodina Villanueva, Mayen Jaymalin, Paolo Romero, Jun Elias