GETTING READY. Workers are busy sprucing up the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan on Wednesday (Aug. 23, 2023) in preparation for the upcoming #FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 opening. The Philippines will attempt to break the gate attendance record of 32,616 when the USA beat Russia in the 1994 finals held in Canada as the tournament unfolds on Aug. 25. (PNA photo by Joey Razon)
MANILA – Land Transportation Office (LTO) personnel will be deployed to assist in road security and traffic management for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, which opens on Friday.
In a news release, LTO chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II said the deployment would be on roads leading to and from the three main venues of the basketball event – the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, the Mall of Asia in Pasay City and the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan where the opening ceremony will be held on Aug. 25.
“Kilala ang Pilipinas sa pagmamahal sa larong basketball kaya inaasahan natin ang dagsa ng ating mga kababayan sa mga lugar na pagdadausan ng FIBA World Cup. At titiyakin natin na ang LTO ay magiging kaagapay sa pagtitiyak na magiging maayos ang pagho-host ng ating bansa (Filipinos are known to love basketball and so we expect our fellowmen to watch the games in these venues. The LTO will assist to ensure a smooth hosting of the event),” he said.
LTO Law Enforcement Service Director Francis Almora said patrol vehicles, motorcycle patrols and 41 law enforcers would be tapped to help secure the roads and manage traffic.
“The instruction of Assistant Secretary Mendoza is for us to be in full force in assisting other government agencies for the event. So the LTO will be there to do its job in coordination with other law enforcement agencies,” Almora said.
Classes and work in Metro Manila and Bulacan are suspended on Aug. 25 for the opening of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which the Philippines co-hosts with Japan and Indonesia.
Among the government agencies that are taking the lead in securing the event are the Philippine National Police and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
The FIBA World Cup Philippine leg will run until Sept. 10. (PNA)
