MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is set to enforce temporary lane closures and counterflow measures along key CAMANAVA roads in preparation for the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival's much-awaited "Parade of the Stars" happening next week.
The parade will feature famous celebrities from 10 official film entries and will pass through Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela on December 16, a first time in MMFF history.
According to a release on Friday, temporary lane closures and counterflow will be implemented from 12 noon to 8 p.m. along the following roads:
- C-4 Road (from Navotas Centennial Park to A Mabini St.)
- Samson Road (from A. Mabini St. to Monumento Circle)
- Mc Arthur Highway (from Monumento Circle to C. Santos Street)
The roads will only be opened after all floats have passed.
The parade will run for 8.7 kilometers, with an estimated travel time of three hours. It will kick off at 2 p.m. from the Navotas Centennial Park and will culminate at the Valenzuela People's Park for the main event.
Government officials anticipate heavy traffic along Samson Road, McArthur Highway, and nearby streets as crowds are expected to gather to catch a glimpse of the stars.
"This year's parade of stars will traverse four cities as we want more people to have a glimpse of the casts of the 10 MMFF entries," said MMDA acting chairperson and MMFF over-all chair Don Artes on Friday.
"With the expected influx of spectators and movie fans, we have prepared a traffic management plan to mitigate the effects on vehicular flow."
Motorists advised to take alernate routes
To minimize inconvenience during the parade, the MMDA advises individuals without business in the parade area to consider alternative routes using the following roads.
- From Malabon to Navotas, take Gov. Pascual and M. H. Del Pilar Street
- Motorists heading to Monumento may take Gov. I Santiago Road, M. H. Del Pilar Street, and Samson Road
- Motorists may also take North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) northbound and southbound
Around 1,000 personnel composed of traffic enforcers, members of the Road Emergency Group, Public Safety Division, Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group, Towing and Impounding Group, Traffic Engineering Center, among others, will be deployed along the parade route.
Organized by the MMDA, the MMFF will be presented in partnership with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to "to promote and enhance the preservation of Philippine Cinema."
Proceeds from the festival are slated to benefit various organizations including the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc., the Motion Picture and Anti-Film Piracy Council, FDCP, and the Optical Media Board.
The parade will showcase various floats carrying celebrities from the following 10 movies included in the 2023 MMFF lineup: “A Family of 2 (A Mother and Son Story),” “(K)Ampon,” “Penduko,” “Rewind,” “Becky and Badette,” “Broken Heart’s Trip,” “Firefly,” “GomBurZa,” “Mallari” and “When I Met You in Tokyo.”