ON THURSDAY, November 14, expect heavier-than-usual Manila traffic as the MMDA runs its simulation for the Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony.
"Expect delays," MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago warned the public. The simulation will be done to test out the bus convoys that will transport athletes and other VIPs from their hotels to the various SEA Games around the metro and beyond.
The opening ceremony will be held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on November 30. The Games will run for the next two weeks ending on December 11. Manila venues for the events include the PhilSports Arena in Pasig for volleyball; the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan for esports; the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay for boxing; the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) in Manila for tennis, gymnastics, squash, and martial arts; and MOA Arena in Pasay for 5-on-5 basketball.
In addition, the MMDA has recommended to Malacañang that roads around the age-old Rizal Memorial Complex are closed and that holidays be declared from December 2 to 6 in select campuses. It also wants a ban on sales in malls located along EDSA during the two-week period of the Games.
Pialago said that they will expect a decision from the Palace on their traffic recommendations by Tuesday, reports Rappler.
The MMDA has already released a traffic advisory on possible traffic chokepoints for the SEA Games. During the Games, they will deploy 2,000 personnel to assist traffic.
Meanwhile, NLEX officials will dedicate two lanes exclusively for SEA Games participants in the Balintawak toll plaza of the northbound highway.
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