Malacañang on Tuesday announced traffic rerouting in some areas in Metro Manila in connection with the state visit of Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang from October 26 to 28. In a press statement, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte apologized to the Metro Manila motorists for the temporary inconvenience. “We advise you to take alternative routes to avoid the heavy traffic, and thank you for your understanding and patience," she said. Valte said the Metro Manila Development Authority, local government units, and the Philippine National Police are coordinating to secure the Vietnamese delegation and ensure that the volume of traffic remains manageable. The areas that will be affected are:
October 26: Osmeña Highway, Quirino Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, Padre Burgos, Finance Road, Ayala Boulevard, and General Solano Street; October 27: Roxas Boulevard; and October 28: Roxas Boulevard, Quirino Avenue, and Osmeña Highway (Skyway route) The Vietnamese President’s visit is in line with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between the Philippines and Vietnam. It will be highlighted by an expanded bilateral meeting with President Benigno Aquino III aimed at strengthening further the diplomatic ties between the two countries. The 62-year-old President Sang, who will be planed in Manila via a chartered Vietnam Airlines flight, becomes the first head of state to visit the country under Aquino’s administration. Welcoming President Sang upon his arrival at the Villamor Airbase in Pasay City are Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Assistant Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro, Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jeril Santos and Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Angel Honrado. There will be arrival honors awaiting Sang at Malacanang around 3pm followed by the bilateral meeting to be held at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room. Both leaders will sign bilateral agreements afterwards and are expected to issue a joint statement at the President’s Hall before the Philippine and Vietnamese media. President Aquino earlier said that resolving the disputes in the West Philippine Sea will be among the issues he will discuss with his Vietnamese counterpart. Wrapping up President Sang’s list of activities for his first day of visit in Manila is a traditional state dinner to be hosted by President Aquino in his honor inside Malacañang’s Rizal Hall. On Thursday, President Sang will begin his activities by laying a wreath at the Rizal Monument in Rizal Park. Afterwards, he will lead the ceremony for the unveiling of the bust of one of his predecessors, President Ho Chi Minh at the ASEAN Park in Intramuros, Manila. President Sang will then have a short visit to the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna at 10:30 a.m. and will go back to Manila by 12:30 p.m. to attend a Vietnam-Philippines Business Luncheon. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr., and Asian Development Bank president Haruhiko Kuroda will each pay a courtesy call to the Vietnamese President by Thursday afternoon. President Sang will host a private dinner in honor of his old-time Filipino friends at Casa Roces inside Malacañang complex to cap his second day of visit here. On Friday, Sang will meet with the Vietnam Embassy personnel and the Vietnamese community to conclude his three-day state visit here before boarding a chartered return flight via Vietnam Airlines to Hanoi just before lunch at the Villamor Airbase. - Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News 
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
