The Philippines will be hosting visiting leaders of and delegates from member-economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting slated for November 18 to 19, 2015. It’ll be a very exciting, and very busy, couple of days.
Metro Manila residents will get a short break from school and work from November 17 to 20. But despite the mandated holiday, heightened security measures will see to it that the flow of traffic will not ease up on those days. The Metro Manila Development Authority has already issued alternative routes you can take, but for those who don’t want to deal with the traffic situation, here are 21 things you should know to make the most out of the long weekend.
Get away from Metro Manila
1. First things first, you can always get away from Metro Manila.
2. Some roads will be closed from November 16 to 20, however, alternate routes have been set. The entire Roxas Boulevard will be closed while EDSA will devote some of its lanes strictly for APEC use.
3. NAIA will be a no-fly zone on November 17, 19, and 20. To ensure the safety of the 21 visiting leaders and delegates, NAIA will not be open to the public at certain times and days.
4. If you have a truck, don’t even think about going anywhere in Manila (from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at least).
Go up north
5. Go North. If you’re a northerner, why not explore northern Luzon?
6. Baguio is always a great place to go to find something different.
7. For coffee enthusiasts looking for a brew as close to the bean, Sagada is the place for you.
8. Meet the locals of the Kalinga towns. You might be able to get yourself a one-of-a-kind tattoo.
9. The Spanish streets have all but gone from our cities. Visit one of the few cities left that has maintained our Spanish heritage.
10. Maybe you wanna surf; La Union’s cool with that.
11. Want to swim in a sea of clouds? Mountain Province will take you up there. Just make sure you bring an extra pair with you.
12. If you’re ever in Subic, why not visit the Zoobic?
Explore the south
13. Drive south. Southerners, why not discover what else the south of Luzon has to offer?
14. Batangas has a number of beaches, just roll the dice and drive there.
15. That thing I said about Baguio earlier? The same for Tagaytay, but in the south.
16. Relax in one of the hotsprings of Laguna.
Food and shopping are good ol’ stand-bys
17. Go to a mall. There’s going to be a sale somewhere. There’s never a time when there’s no sale.
18. Food trip. Thank goodness the great food strips are nowhere close to the APEC meetings. Visit Quezon City’s Maginhawa street, and Pasig City’s Kapitolyo for a crazy food time!
Staycation is a thing
19. If anything else, stay at home. Catch up the shows all your friends are talking about or finish that book you always said you were too busy for. These days, there’s enough to do inside the house as outside.
20. If TV shows aren’t your thing, why don’t you catch up with the biggest show happening: APEC itself! If you’re on Sky Cable, it will be on channel 133 or you can even download the APEC TV app from the Google Play store or the App Store (to be released on November 9).
Yay Philippine hosting!
21. Lastly, just sit back and enjoy the show;
Keep up with the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference, which will be gathering the most powerful people in the world. You can do this by staying tuned to the news, or by simply scrolling through our feeds. You can get updates on all APEC-related events through our social media accounts: We’re on Facebook at www.facebook.com/apec2015ph and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/apec2015ph. Keep track via the #APEC2015 hashtag—give us a cheer while you’re there.
