INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — In preparation for President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, and the annual march by protesters toward the Batasan complex, a stretch of the Commonwealth Avenue northbound road will be closed to traffic for 15 hours on Monday (July 28).
A traffic advisory from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has stated that the Commonwealth Avenue northbound road stretching 1.6 kilometers from the Jockfer U-turn slot to the San Simon U-turn slot, will be fully closed from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m.
However, partial closures on the avenue’s northbound road will start at 12:01 a.m., with only the left innermost lanes open to traffic until the full road closure at 3 a.m.
The police will also be clearing the stretch of Commonwealth Avenue, from the Quezon Memorial Circle to Fairview Mall, of any traffic obstruction starting midnight. Illegally parked vehicles will be towed.
Half of the avenue’s southbound road, from the Jockfer U-turn slot to the San Simon U-turn slot, will be used for traffic counterflow, or as northbound lanes, until the normal flow of traffic resumes at 6 p.m.
The nine northbound lanes past the San Simon U-Turn slot will be open for regular traffic operations.
Motorists from subdivisions behind the Ever Gotesco mall may use the Jockfer U-Turn or the St. Peter’s Church U-turn slot to get to the open side of Commonwealth Avenue as the KTV Superstar and the Capitol U-turn slot will be closed.
Also at 12 noon on Monday, the entire westbound lane of IBP Road, from Litex to Sandiganbayan, will be closed to the general public, and will be set for the exclusive use of the public officials attending the Sona at the Batasan complex.
Vehicles coming from Filinvest 1, Sinagtala, San Mateo Road, and Filinvest 2 may take a right turn and exit at Litex-Commonwealth.
The IBP-Litex Road will also be closed. Motorists coming from the Rizal province may take Soliven St. in going to Commonwealth Avenue and the Fairview Area.
The Quezon city police advised motorists to avoid taking Commonwealth altogether, and instead, take Congressional Avenue, turning left at Mindanao Avenue, right at Sauyo Road, left at Chestnut, right at Dahlia Street and left at Regalado Avenue to reach the Fairview Center mall. Motorists from Fairview can take the same route in the opposite direction in going to the Quezon Memorial Circle.
The Quezon city police director, Chief Supt. Richard Albano, appealed for the public’s patience and cooperation, saying “Everyone has the right to know the state of our nation, which will come right from our President himself.”
Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police PNP has said it will deploy 10,000 personnel for the Sona, under “Super Task Force Kapayapaan” to be led by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
“In order to prevent the occurrence of violent incidents that may disrupt the conduct of Sona, there is a need for the PNP to intensify and sustain law enforcement, security and public safety operations before, during and after the event,” PNP chief Police Director General Alan La Madrid Purisima said.
Albano, in earlier interviews, firmly stood his ground that protesters attempting to march down Commonwealth Avenue to the Batasan Complex would be stopped by police barricades posted along Commonwealth Avenue and en route to the House of Representatives. The police director, however, assured the public of “maximum tolerance” in dealing with the protesters.
The police expect the protesters to stage their demonstrations in front of the Ever Gotesco Department store on Commonwealth Avenue.
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