[ventuno id=’MCsxMDMzODY4fHwyMzY4fHwxMDg2fHwxLDIsMQ==’][/ventuno]
Top Cambodian ministers saw for themselves the traffic gridlock caused by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit as their convoy arrived in Metro Manila from Clark Freeport in Pampanga province on Saturday night.
It took the Cambodian delegation’s convoy two hours to reach the National Capital Region from Clark, well over the 90-minute travel time that the Asean traffic committee was aiming for in shuttling world leaders and delegates to Metro Manila.
The traffic group earlier relayed that the convoy carried Prime Minister Hun Sen, but later corrected itself saying that it was in fact Cambodian ministers who motored to Metro Manila, hours after arriving from Pampanga province.
Hun Sen and Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi were still in Clark for a dinner hosted by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen arrives at Clark International Airport on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017. Hun Sen is one of more than a dozen leaders who will be attending the 31st ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Manila. (Photo by BULLIT MARQUEZ / AP)
Hun Sen’s plane landed at Clark International Airport at 1:26 p.m. The ministers’ convoy left Clark at 6:36 p.m.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said that because of the huge volume of cars the convoy had to slow down at the Paso de Blas portion of the North Luzon Expressway.
But it breezed through Edsa, where traffic had been horrible for most of the day as its two innermost lanes were closed off to motorists for the use of the Asean delegates.
From their convoy, the ministers could have seen the hours-long traffic that motorists had to endure, as well as the long lines of commuters on the streets waiting for a ride.
By 8:40 p.m., the convoy was already in Makati City. For security reasons, their hotel was not disclosed to the media. /atm