MOTORISTS have been advised to avoid the roads around the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, where a send-off ceremony will be held for the security contingent that will be on duty at the 31st Asean Summit.
Starting at 10 p.m. of Saturday, Nov. 4, the stretch of Independence Road, Katigbak Drive and South Drive will be closed to vehicular traffic, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada announced.
“If you don’t have any official business or important activity, it is better to avoid these areas or plan your trips well,” Estrada said.
The send-off ceremonyManila for the 23,000 security personnel composing the Asean Security Task Force will start at 6 a.m. of Sunday, Nov. 5.
As many as 53,000 policemen, soldiers and other security personnel, along with their fleet of vehicles and equipment, will assemble at the grandstand.
Based on the traffic advisory of the Manila Police District-Traffic Enforcement Unit, the rerouting plan is as follows:
1.) All vehicles coming from Bonifacio Drive and P. Burgos, intending to use Katigbak Drive, will go straight to Roxas Boulevard to point of destination.
2.) All vehicles coming from Roxas Boulevard and TM Kalaw, intending to use South Drive, will go straight to Roxas Boulevard to point of destination.
3.) All vehicles going to and from Manila Ocean Park/H20 Hotel and Manila Hotel will use Katigbak Drive as access road.
The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, has imposed a gun ban from Nov. 1 to 15 as part of the security preparations for the Asean summit.
PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa has ordered the suspension of permits to carry firearms outside of residence for those 15 days in Metro Manila and Regions 3 and 4A.
The gun ban is in line with the government commitment to ensure the safety of heads of state and delegates, who will arrive at Clark International Airport starting Nov. 9.
Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said sea operations in Manila Bay will be prohibited from Nov. 5 to 16 as part of the security measures for the summit.
The “no sail zone” will cover all types of vessels, the department said, and will cover the vicinity of waters from the H2O Hotel in Manila to Okada Hotel at New Seaside Drive in Parañaque City.