The APEC Philippines is scheduled to be held on November 18 and 19, 2015 but most heads of state of member economies began arriving today November 17.
The motorists’ patience was tested last night when traffic halted for 3 to 5 hours in Pasay City. Some motorists said they even wanted to leave their cars on the street and walk home.
Most roads and streets from the NAIA going to the hotels where the head of economies will stay were closed.
This led to some passengers being stranded and being able to go home only at 12 midnight. One of the passengers said that the government should have declared a no-work holiday earlier so the people should have just stayed home.
Drivers of public utility vehicles on the other hand complained that they were unable to earn money due to heavy traffic. Some of those interviewed even suggested that APEC should have been held in the provinces where traffic is not a problem.
Some Filipinos understood that roads and streets should be kept open for passing head of state as a standard security protocol.
The APEC summit will last for 2 days only and the government is doing the best it can to make the travel of visiting heads of economies safe and traffic free.
The Philippines is a member of APEC and every year, a member country is assigned to host the event this year the Philippines turn to host.
What will the Philippines gain from this year’s APEC event?
Well for a start, The U.S. would give two more vessels, a research ship to help map the Philippines’ territorial waters and another High Endurance Cutter to help boost the Philippines’s ability to patrol its waters and pledged to spend $259 million to bolster maritime security assistance among its allies and partners in the region.
The Philippines will receive a record $79 million in assistance to bolster maritime security this financial year, the biggest recipient in Southeast Asia, the White House said.
President Aquino meet the Papua New Guinea President. There are 30,000 Filipinos in Papua New Guinea, including teachers from La Salle and Don Bosco. More Filipino workers have a chance to work in that country.
The Vietnam President and President Aquino signed two agreements. An agreement to further expand the military cooperation of both countries and an agreement to import rice from Vietnam.
And the APEC Philippines summit has not yet even started.
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