Street dwellers to get P4,000 each to rent homes during APEC

Shameful.

That’s how the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) described the government’s plan to “hide” street dwellers by giving them money to rent temporary homes during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

“Window dressing poverty remains as this administration’s biggest moral scandal. And now it is resorting to the same tactics it did when Pope Francis visited Manila in January,” Mon Ilagan, UNA spokesman and provincial coordinator, said.

APEC LIGHTS — Under the awesome lights, the stage is being set for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, yesterday. (Ali Vicoy)

This developed as the officials announced that access to some of the busiest thoroughfares in Metro Manila will be limited to give way to the delegates attending the APEC Summit from November 16 to 20.

According to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), designated APEC lanes will be set up along the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) during the duration of the summit: two innermost lanes from Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City to Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City on both directions will strictly be used for authorized vehicles. Both directions of Roxas Boulevard, from Katigbak Drive to NAIA Road, will be fully closed.

BAND-AID SOLUTION

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo confirmed that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is giving homeless families P4,000 to rent a temporary home during the APEC Summit, said UNA, the party of opposition standard bearer Vice President Jejomar C. Binay.

“Bakit kailangan mong itago sila? Para ba pagtakpan ang kapalpakan ng gobyerno? (Why do you need to keep them out of sight? To hide government’s own failure?),” Ilagan asked, adding “Yan ang nakakahiya (That is shameful).”

Among the VIPs expected to be in the Philippines for the economic meetings are United States (US) President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ilagan said that the government is willing to spend billions to host the Summit – P7.9 billion to be exact – but can’t put together a comprehensive plan to alleviate poverty and hunger.

He noted that the P4,000 temporary housing assistance given by DSWD is at best a palliative or band-aid solution timed to make the administration look good in front of the visiting world leaders.

A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that hunger incidence in the country has increased from 12.7 percent in the 2nd quarter to 13.5 percent  in the 3rd quarter of 2015.

Another SWS survey showed that 11 million Filipinos considered themselves as poor.

SWS said that in 2014, 54 percent of Filipinos considered themselves poor, a six percentage point rise from 48 percent in 2010, the year President Benigno S. Aquino III was proclaimed took over in Malacañang.

TRAFFIC PLAN

The MMDA also released a traffic plan during the event.

At the vicinity of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), total road closure will be enforced on Vicente Sotto Street, Bukaneg Street, J.W. Diokno Boulevard Bridge, Buendia Avenue Extension, and M. Jalandoni Street.

Instead of passing through Roxas Boulevard, the MMDA advised motorists to take the following alternate routes:

(Southbound): From P. Burgos, take Orosa St., turn right to Kalaw Avenue, turn left to M.H. del Pilar, left to Quirino Avenue, turn right to F.B. Harrison, to EDSA, to destination.

(Nouthbound lane) From EDSA, turn right to F.B. Harrison, straight to Mabini St., right to Kalaw Avenue, turn left to Orosa St., to P. Burgos, to destination.

(Both northbound and southbound): From EDSA, turn right to Taft Avenue, to Manila City Hall, to destination and vice versa.

 MOA AREA

At the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena, roads to be closed from November 18, 6 a.m., are Diokno corner Seaside Boulevard; Coral Way corner Seaside Blvd., EDSA corner Macapagal Avenue; Macapagal  corner Coral Way; Diokno corner Aseana, and Macapagal corner Bradco.

Those who will be affected take the following alternative routes:

Public utility buses from Edsa are allowed to pass through Roxas Boulevard going to the Baclaran Church.

Motorists and other public utility vehicles (PUVs) from EDSA can turn right at Macapagal Boulevard, turn left as Seaside Boulevard to MOA.

From MOA, motorists and other PUVs can take Seaside Blvd., left at Diosdado Macapagal Blvd., left at Gil Puyat (Buendia Ave.) to destination or left at EDSA to destination.

 TRUCK BAN

For truckers, a daytime truck ban rule will be enforced along south truck routes. Truck drivers will only be allowed to use the route from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. expect on Roxas Boulevard where a 24-truck ban from November 17 to 20.

Truckers affected by the modified truck ban can use the following alternate routes:

From Port of Manila straight to R10, right to C3, left to A. Bonifacio Avenue, take right turning flyover toward Quirino Highway, right to Mindanao Ave., left to Congressional Ave., right to Luzon Ave. straight to Katipunan/C5 to (SLEX/MCX) destination (vice versa).

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras and MMDA urged the public to help clearing roads and give courtesy to the delegates.

MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos said plastic barriers and cones have already been lined up along the stretch of EDSA where the APEC lanes will be set up and Roxas Boulevard which will be closed during the duration of the APEC event.

“We have been conducting traffic simulations regularly. We are ready for the APEC,” Carlos told a media briefing.

Even though Malacañang has declared the APEC duration as non-working days, Carlos said there are still some workers of private companies, particularly business processing outsourcing firms who continue to report for work.

“We expect other companies to voluntarily close their offices.  Some people may take the whole week off for a much needed vacation,” he said.

ABSOLUTE ROAD CLOSURES

While there are designated APEC lanes, Almendras said the public should also anticipate absolute closures on EDSA on certain periods to enable delegates to travel with minimal trouble.

“When there is a very, very important person is passing through, there will be absolute closures. There will be periods when vehicles will not be allowed to move from Shaw Boulevard southbound. We cannot predict when,” said Almendras.

The APEC delegates have their own protocols and they are used to a certain amount of security and leniency and flexibility. Thereby that protocol is something we have to give to them when they come here, Almendras stressed.

Seeking for public’s understanding for the inconvenience, Almendras warned the people to avoid areas where APEC related activities will be held.

“The country is hosting a very big event. So many important people that we need to make sure are going to be safe and can move around normally in a way they are able to move. So we really like to appeal, if you don’t really have to do anything absolutely urgent in these areas, then don’t go,” Almendras said.

He said frequent road closures are to be expected on November 17 when majority of the delegations are set to arrive and when delegates are being moved from one venue to another to attend various meetings.

APEC ZONE

“From Makati going to the APEC zone, which is the PICC (Philippine International Convention Center) and MOA , there will be a lot (of closures) because you have more people, more heads of states that are staying in Makati. Every time there is that kind of a movement, we will have to close some stretches for about 30 minutes,” said Almendras.

Amid the negative reactions about their traffic preparations, Almendras said the country is not trying to avoid traffic or show the world that traffic is good in Manila.

However, he said, “these are not ordinary people therefore we need to afford them the flexibility that their teams are used to when it comes to movements,” he noted.

Twenty heads of APEC member countries are expected to arrive in Manila.

The public should also expect congestion even in the evening since there are reception events scheduled up to late at night.

“Simultaneously, 21 convoys and thousands of entourage will be moving back in different occasions,” said Almendras.

Those going to the airport are advised to anticipate traffic delays so the should carefully plan their trips.

Source: www.mb.com.ph