Yesterday, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared that Nov. 13 — 15 is going to be a special non-working holiday in Metro Manila. This means that the metro’s residents will have a 5-day weekend just two weeks after the two-day All Saints Day holiday.
This is to make way for the planned activities for the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit that will be held on the same week. Special traffic schemes will also be implemented on those days to make way for the delegates arriving.
In a report by the Manila Bulletin, Ambassador Marciano A. Paynor Jr., the director general of operations for the ASEAN’s National Organizing Council, said that most flights of visiting delegates will arrive and depart from the Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga, 99 km. away from Manila.
Because of this, Pampanga and Bulacan, a province between Clark and Manila, will also get Nov. 13 — 15 off from work and school.
According to Paynor, the decision to make use of CIA instead of Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is to avoid delays similar to those NAIA experienced during 2015’s Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation wherein about 450 flights were affected.
About 20 world leaders expected to join the ASEAN Summit, US President Donald Trump and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also attend.
Earlier this month, mayors in Metro Manila decided to suspended classes in all levels on Nov. 16 and 17. This gives students in the metro area a nine-day weekend starting Nov. 11, Saturday up to Nov. 19, Sunday.
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