A long stretch of Edsa—from Mandaluyong to Pasay—will be closed to general traffic for about 30 minutes every time a VIP delegation in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit needs to pass through, from Nov. 17 to 20.
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who heads the Edsa Technical Working Group for the Apec meet, said the closure—from Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City to SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City—would make way for the convoys of the 21 heads of state attending the high-security event.
“The full closure is needed because our visitors have protocols in their security. They are used to a certain amount of security, leniency and flexibility,” Almendras in a press briefing on Wednesday.
He said the closure could last for 30 minutes at a time but that the schedule of the individual convoys may be unpredictable.
An estimated 36,000 vehicles on Edsa could be affected by the closures, he said, “that’s why we are appealing to all motorists that if they do not have any important thing to do on these days, they should avoid Edsa and other identified roads.”
The government has suspended classes in all school levels and work in the government sector in Metro Manila from Nov. 17 to 20 and work in the capital’s private sector from Nov. 18 to 19.
“On the 17th, we expect the arrival of most of the delegates, so people should also expect closures along roads leading to the airport,” Almendras said.
Earlier, authorities announced that two lanes on both sides of Edsa will be reserved for Apec VIP convoys from Nov. 17 to 20.
Traffic personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group will divert affected motorists to the Mabuhay Lanes, a network of alternative routes being opened in time for the holiday season.
The MMDA also said Roxas Boulevard, from Katigbak to MIA/Naia Road, will be closed on both directions from midnight of Nov. 16-20. Motorists are advised to take the following alternate routes:
Option 1, southbound—From P. Burgos, take Orosa Street, turn right at Kalaw Avenue, left at M.H. Del Pilar, left at Quirino Avenue, turn right at F.B. Harrison to Edsa to destination.
Northbound—From Edsa, turn right at FB Harrison, straight to Mabini, right at Kalaw, left at Orosa, then P. Burgos to destination.
Option 2, northbound and southbound—From Edsa, turn right at Taft Avenue to Manila City Hall to destination.
There will also be road closures in the Mall of Asia Arena area on Nov. 18, from 6 a.m. to midnight, specifically on the following roads: Diokno corner Seaside Boulevard, Coral Way corner Seaside, Edsa cor. Macapagal, Macapagal corner Coral Way, Diokno cor Aseana and Macapagal cor Bradco.
Roads in the Cultural Center of the Philippines area, such as Vicente Sotto Street, Bukaneg Street, JW Diokno Boulevard Bridge, Buendia Avenue Extension, and M. Jalandoni Street will also be closed from Nov. 16-20.
The number coding scheme will remain in effect during the Apec Summit period while the daytime truck ban will also enforced along the southern truck routes. Trucks will only be allowed to use the route from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., except on Roxas Boulevard where a 24-hour truck ban will be implemented from Nov. 17-20.