THE government on Friday advised the public to avoid areas where they will conduct traffic flow simulations in preparation for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next week.
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said there would be more traffic management dry runs from Saturday to Sunday near various Apec venues.
“There will be practice convoys that will be timing their movements from hotels to certain venues,” Almendras said, after meeting with Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Emerson Carlos on the traffic contingency plans.
The dry runs will include a total closure of Edsa to simulate traffic when a head of state’s convoy passes through the major thoroughfare.
“We may even simulate an Edsa closure on Sunday, meaning there will be a… complete closure of Edsa for a 30-minute window,” Almendras said.
He said ideally, they wanted to be able to welcome and accept each head of state in 42 minutes.
Aside from Edsa, Roxas Boulevard will also be closed to vehicular traffic during the event.
PNP-Highway Patrol Group spokesperson Supt. Grace Tamayo said 842 HPG officers will be deployed to secure the convoy of the leaders and delegates.
Tamayo said that 300 will augment the Presidential Security Group in guarding world leaders, while 282 others will join forces with the Police Security Protection Group for the security of ministers and other foreign delegates and around 227 will be deployed along Edsa, where there will be special lanes for the Apec delegates.
She noted that the primary duty of the HPG during Apec week is the route and convoy security along Edsa and in Roxas Boulevard.
Pasay City police will deploy at least 1,000 policemen to the SM Mall of Asia for the event.
Pasay police head Senior Supt. Joel Doria said they will provide security for the welcome dinner of the 1,000 delegates including the head of states which is scheduled on Nov. 18 to be held at the MOA Arena.
He said the city government has not issued any rally permits, and the “no permit, no rally” policy would be strictly implemented.
All permits issued to gun owners to carry their firearms outside of their residence will be suspended, the police said.
PNP chief Ricardo Marquez said the temporary suspension of all Permits to Carry Firearms Outside of Residence would take effect from Nov. 16 to 20 in Metro Manila as part of the security preparations.
“Only the members of the PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and other law enforcement agencies who are performing official duties and in agency-prescribed uniforms will be allowed to carry firearms,” Marquez said.
Violators would face criminal charges, carrying penalties of six months and a day to six years and a fine of P10,000, he said.
Some 24,000 police personnel will be deployed in key meeting areas.
At the Philippine International Convention Center alone, a thousand police personnel backed by 100 elite military troops will serve as a second layer of security to support the Presidential Security Group, the main security contingent for foreign leaders.
National Capital Region police chief Director Joel Pagdilao has put Metro Manila under red alert four days ahead of the arrival of foreign dignitaries.
The PNP under Task Force Apec will be conducting full-scale security simulation exercises at the Apec designated areas starting 6 a.m. Saturday.
Marques advised motorists to expect heavy traffic in Pasay, Makati and Manila during the simulation exercies.
The Supreme Court announced Friday that courts will keep a skeleton staff at work to receive emergency filings.
The advisory said the Court would b suspended on Monday, Nov. 16, except for the offices of the justices and the clerk of court because a session will be held to resolve the petition against the country’s Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States.
On the same day, work in the Court of Appeals and the first and second evel courts in the cities of Manila and Makati will also be closed. A skeleton force can receive emergency filings, however.
It will be business as usual for the Bureau of Customs during the Apec Summit.
Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said the bureau’s three major ports will be operating during the summit.
Customs employees assigned to operations, and assessment will be working on a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift even on weekends, he said.
President Benigno Aquino III has issued Proclamation No. 1072 declaring Nov. 18 and 19 as Special Non-Working days in the NCR, and Memorandum Circular No. 84, s. 2015, suspending work in government offices for November 17 to 20, in view of the Apec meeting.
A Palace spokesman on Friday said Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed to President Aquino he will not be attending the Apec summit in Manila because of problems in his country.
“I can confirm that President Vladimir Putin called President Aquino last night (Thursday night) to discuss matters related to the Philippines and Russia bilateral cooperation, and, of course, about the participation of Russia in the Apec Summit here in Manila in the coming days,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.
“President Putin also discussed with President Aquino the reasons for his inability to attend the Apec Summit to which President Aquino replied that he understood fully well the issues that are confronting the Russian government,” Valte said.
These include the ongoing investigation of the Oct 31 crash of a Russian plane over Egypt in which 224 passengers and crew died.
Russia’s Apec delegation will be headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, she said.
Earlier, Indonesian President Joko Widodo also begged off, citing pressing domestic matters that required his attention.
The militant Bukluran ng Maggagawang Pilipino (BMP) on Friday slammed the government for wasting P10 billon of the people’s money to host the Apec summit while poverty continued to rise.
“The P10 billion spent by the Aquino regime for an elitist forum that represents the interests of the affluent few in the global economy is nothing but a waste of the nation’s coffers,” BMP said. – With Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo
