Papal visit won’t hamper Manila port, regular truck routes—Almendras

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras clarified on Wednesday that the five-day visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines will not “significantly hamper continuous efforts for the efficient operations of the port of Manila.”

“During the holidays, the ports will be operating even if they will not be able to accept outbound cargoes as they will continue to unload ships and will load and move out empties to alleviate the extent of empty containers already in the country,” Almendras said in a statement.

Almendras also said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has confirmed that there is “no such thing as total truck ban for the five-day holiday.”

“Movement of cargo and trucks will be allowed in the regular truck routes during the allowed hours, except routes that will be affected by the events of the pope’s visit. The routes that will be temporarily closed will be re-opened when the events venue has been cleared,” he said.

Almendras appealed to all stakeholders to cooperate and implement the agreed plans and actions during the pope’s visit.