‘No reroute schemes, but avoid roads to Asean venue’

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño (second, standing from left), Police Regional Office chief, talks to some police officers during the security briefing for the Asean summit meetings. CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza

ReporterWhile there won’t be any road closures or traffic rerouting schemes, motorists are still advised to avoid passing through roads near the venue of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meetings to be held starting July 1.

The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) said motorists should especially avoid roads mostly in the North Reclamation Area (NRA) where the venue for the meetings is located.

“There is no need for road closure and rerouting. But we will be stopping the flow of traffic every time the vehicles of the delegates will be passing through the roads,” CCTO Operations Chief Francisco Ouano said.

He said this was agreed upon during a meeting with Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, the deputy mayor on police matters.

Ouano said he was told that the main venue for the meetings will be in Radisson Blu Hotel in the NRA.

However, he said the delegates will be billeted in different hotels including Bayfront Hotel, Quest Hotel and Marriott Hotel.

This means the Asean officials will have to travel from their respective hotels going to the venue.

The CCTO will deploy 90 traffic enforcers within the NRA to enforce possible traffic changes during the meetings.

“We will start deploying them on Friday (tomorrow) until July 7,” Ouano said.

About seven officers of the mobile patrol group, four multicabs and one tow truck will be deployed in the area starting tomorrow.

While traffic congestion may be felt especially when delegates are in transit, Ouano said they don’t expect it to last so long since traffic flow will only be stopped as the delegates’ vehicles pass through.

He asked motorists to remain patient and look for alternative routes as much as possible.

“They chose Cebu City to have the meeting because it is safe here. Our advice to motorists is just to avoid the areas near the events, especially near Radisson Blu,” he said.

The upcoming meetings will be attended by around 300 foreign officials including senior ministers from Asean-member states like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Tumulak said police from the National Capital Region will be deployed to help keep the peace for the duration of the summit meetings from July 1 to 7.

The city’s police force will be deployed in all major roads while closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras are installed inside hotels and in other venues, he said.

Tumulak asked hotels to allow uniformed policemen inside their premises.

He said they will follow protocols such as surrendering their ID cards.

“The mayor asked them (hotels) so now I will reiterate that they will allow the police inside the hotel, with their firearms of course,” he said.