MANILA, Philippines — The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) gave a "special permit" for a chosen few public utility buses for viewers and players attending the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Philippine Arena on Saturday.
Included in the issuance of the special permit is the designation of terminals for pick-up and drop-off points for passengers who want to attend the said games.
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Included here are the following:
- Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) in Parañaque City
- Trinoma in Quezon City
- SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City
- One Ayala Terminal in Ayala Avenue, Makati City
- Cloverleaf Ayala in A. Bonifacio Avenue
- Quezon City, Market! Market! in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City
- Araneta City, Cubao, Quezon City
- SM Clark in Angeles, Pampanga
"Part of being the host of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is a huge honor for our country and we hope that it will strengthen our tourism sector because of the influx of tourists and other visitors, whether foreign or local," said LTFRB Chairperson Atty. Teofilo Guadiz III in a statement, Thursday, in Filipino.
"We are one with all the agencies in government in making sure that everything will go smoothly in this historical worldwide basketball tournament in our country."
Because of this, buses with special permits will not be apprehended by the Land Transportation Office, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and other government agencies that enforce traffic rules when it comes to violations in number coding.
Record-breaking attendance expected
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas earlier announced that it will be expecting a "record-breaking" turnout in attendance, with over 43,000 tickets already sold.
The FIBA World Cup-recognized attendance record is 32,616, which was set in 1994 in Toronto.
The MMDA earlier announced the suspension of mall-wide sales and road works along selected Metro Manila thoroughfares like EDSA from August 17 to September 10 in connection with the tournament.
The Philippines, Japan and Indonesia will host the World Cup from August 25 to September 10, the first time in history wherein the tournament will be staged by multiple nations.
The competition will serve as a qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Philippines last hosted the World Cup in 1978.