Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 29) – No special lanes will be provided to the convoys of delegates in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games from November 30 to December 11, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.
MMDA Spokesperson Celine Pialago said in an interview with CNN Philippines that the enforcement of designated lanes will not be necessary as participating athletes have been assigned to hotels that are close to their competition areas.
“Ang pinaka-busy naman na araw po is ‘yung Saturday. ‘Yan po ‘yung opening ceremony ng SEA Games. Pero the rest of the week po, itong mga susunod na araw, after the opening po wala naman pong dapat ipag-alala ‘yung ating mga kababayan kasi lahat po halos ng piniling hotels ay kalapit lang ng sporting venue,” Pialago said.
[Translation: Our busiest day is on Saturday. That’s the opening ceremony of the SEA Games. But for the rest of the week, in the succeeding days, after the opening there’s nothing to worry about because all the chosen hotels are near the sporting venue.]
“For example, ice skating sa SM Megamall, ang gagawin diyan lahat ng mga atleta ay naka-check in din halos sa Ortigas area. So hindi po ganoon kalaki ang magiging epekto niyan doon sa mga major thoroughfares,” she added.
[Translation: For example, for the ice skating competition at the SM Megamall, what they will be doing is that athletes will be checked in within Ortigas so the effect will not be as big on major thoroughfares.]
Pialago stressed that the “stop-and-go” traffic scheme is final, which means traffic will be stopped when vehicles of delegates pass by the roads and will resume once they have gone through.
“So kung makikita po natin medyo nonsense ho kung magkakaroon pa tayo ng VIP lanes o designated lanes para sa mga convoy. So final na po ‘yun, ma’am. Stop-and-go scheme, wala pong designated lanes, wala pong VIP lanes,” she said.
[Translation: If we would notice, it’s a bit nonsense to implement VIP or designated lanes for the convoy. So it’s final. We’ll have a stop-and-go scheme, no designated lanes, no VIP lanes.]
A total of 2000 MMDA personnel will be deployed in various areas to secure the 12-day sporting event.
They will also collaborate with traffic enforcers of every affected local government unit as “force multipliers” in managing the traffic system.
Michael Salalima, Focal Person for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) of MMDA’s Metropolitan Public Safety Office, added that 17 local government units and local DRRM offices are involved in the preparation of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) for the games.
PHISGOC has also designated medical teams inside the playing venues and identified nearby hospitals that will respond to emergencies during the competitions.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) recently announced that it will be primarily in charge of vehicle convoys that will bring the delegates to their rehearsal and competition venues starting November 30.
READ: PNP to inspect venues, hold last-minute security preps for SEA Games opening
Some schools and local government units have already announced class suspensions to make way for the country’s hosting of the SEA Games.
READ: LIST: Schools, cities suspend classes to give way for SEA Games
The 12-day event will formally close on December 11.
