Standstill on EDSA as Asean road closures start

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of motorists and commuters yesterday got stuck for hours in a horrible gridlock along EDSA after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) closed two lanes for the convoy of foreign delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

The traffic jam was from Pasay City all the way to Balintawak in Quezon City.

Traffic also came to a standstill for hours in Clark Freeport, Pampanga as motorists had to give way to the convoys of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Myanmar State Counsellor Aug San Suu Kyi, whose planes landed at the Clark International Airport yesterday afternoon.

Bong Nebrija, operations supervisor of the MMDA, said traffic enforcers had a hard time asking motorists to move away from the ASEAN lanes.

“We do not have enough barriers, so other motorists entered (the ASEAN lanes). We cannot move them out because the service road is already full, so we had to close the entire stretch from Balintawak to Magallanes,” Nebrija told reporters.

Emmanuel Miro, head of the MMDA’s Task Force ASEAN, said the agency will put more barriers and traffic cones along ASEAN lanes, mostly along the underpass and flyovers, so motorists would easily determine where they are not allowed to pass. 

MMDA officials urged private motorists not to pass along EDSA during the ASEAN Summit to avoid inconvenience.

Nebrija said motorists should use alternate routes like the Scout areas in Quezon City and C-5. 

In Clark Freeport in Pampanga, vehicles entering the gates of the freeport were frozen in long queues as security men with bomb sniffing dogs scrutinized each vehicle.

At intersections from Roxas Highway, traffic build up was also heavy as security organizers locked down roads to allow the convoys of Cambodia’s Hun Sen and Myanmar’s Aug San Suu Kyi to immediately reach the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway towards Manila.

Angry motorists: EDSA parking lot

The traffic gridlock angered many motorists, who complained that the whole stretch of EDSA became a huge parking lot.

Visual artist Aj Castillo said he rode a jeepney from Valenzuela City to McArthur Highway past 10 a.m. and transferred to a bus along Caloocan going to Balintawak past 2 p.m. and got stuck in the traffic.

“Ayaw umusad ng daloy ng trapiko simula pa kaninang umaga. Nakatengga po kami dito (The traffic is not moving since morning. We are stuck here),” Castillo told The STAR at 5 p.m. yesterday. 

Motorists in Pampanga wondered why the delegates were not flown from Clark to their destination in Manila.

Expect delayed flights

Passengers should also expect delayed flights due to activities related to the country’s hosting of the ASEAN Summit. 

To minimize delays, budget carrier Cebu Pacific encouraged passengers to use online check-in facilities. 

“Passengers traveling internationally from Manila starting Nov. 11, 2017 until Nov. 15, 2017 are advised to be at the airport early as there may be increased processing time, and possible delays due to ASEAN Summit Activities,” Cebu Pacific said in a statement yesterday. 

Cebu Pacific is also giving passengers the option to travel on another date. Passengers who would rebook their flights to seven days after Nov.15 can do so without any charges. 

Passengers may also opt for full refund or travel fund. 

“We sincerely hope for your understanding and will provide updates as soon as available,” Cebu Pacific said. 

The summit is being attended by the leaders of the 10 members of the ASEAN.

Also expected to attend the meetings are leaders from dialogue partners such as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, US, Canada, European Union and the United Nations.  –   With Louella Desiderio, Ding Cervantes