MMDA on blue alert for papal visit

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday raised the blue alert for the five-day visit of Pope Francis.

MMDA assistant general manager for operations Emerson Carlos said that under the blue alert, half of the committed 2,000 personnel for the papal visit has been activated and placed on stand-by.

“They are now ready for deployment, including for emergency and rescue operations,” said Carlos.

Carlos said the 2,300 MMDA personnel deployed for the Pope’s stay in Metro Manila will not be allowed to go-on leave.

“There will be no day-offs,” he said.

Those to be deployed by the MMDA includes traffic enforcers, side walk clearing crews, members of the agency’s road emergency group, public safety division, Metro Parkway clearing group, Traffic Engineering Center, and the MMDA Metrobase.

Meanwhile, Carlos said Wednesday's early morning final dry-run of the Papal motorcade from Villamor Airbase to the Nunciature in Manila was glitch-free.

“Maayos na maayos iyong dry-run kaya walang mali. Kaya satisfied na iyong grupo regarding sa dry-run kaninang umaga. Although siyempre hindi pa rin ma-simulate iyong actual dahil walang mga tao. Iba pa din iyong puno ng tao iyong kabilang lane,” he said.

Carlos warned that people who will try to breach the barricades to get close to the motorcade of Pope Francis will be arrested by the police. Carlos said some 16,000 police officers will be deployed to secure the route of the Pope’s motorcade.

“Ipi-prevent natin iyong mga ganyang klaseng pasaway. Kapag ganyan iyong mga unruliness nire-refer natin 'yan sa mga pulis. It is within the powers of the police,” he said.

Carlos said roads to be used by the Pope’s motorcade will be closed three hours before the motorcade passes. Carlos said roads that will not be used by the motorcade again will be immediately reopened as soon as the motorcade passes. However, roads that will be used again by the motorcade will remain closed until further advise from the Pope’s security team which includes the Presidential Security Group.

“Kapag dadaan ulit siya doon, it will remain close. Pero kapag hindi na dadaan doon bubuksan agad iyon but prior clearance for security experts,” he said.

Carlos said MMDA will be deployed along the Pope’s motorcade route from Villamor Airbase to the Nunciature at 12:30 pm today. The Pope is expected to arrive at the Villamor Airbase from Sri Lanka at 5:45 p.m.