Organizers of the Sunday, Dec. 12, caravan in support of presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos and his running-mate Sara Duterte were given from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. to complete the motorcade amid concerns that the activity would again cause monstrous traffic jams similar to what happened in Quezon City on Dec. 8.
MMDA General Manager Romando Artes said they are banking on the commitment of the organizers led by retired military general Romeo Poquiz that the caravan would be non-stop and that they would police their own ranks using their more than 2,000 motorcycle-riding marshalls.
"We encourage them to finish by 10 a.m., probably we'll just get the commitment of the organizers to self-regulate themselves that if the activity is already going beyond 10 a.m. they would begin to disperse," said Artes.
But Artes warned the organizers that they could be held liable if they fail to enforce the health safety protocols amid the continuous threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
"This is part of the conditions that we gave to the organizers and if they would fail to follow the protocols, we have laws that we could use to hold the organizers accountable," he said.
Thousands of people are expected to join the Grabnd caravan in Metro Manila--the plan is for green-wearing supporters to converge at the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange while the red-wearing supporters would meet at South Road of Kalaw Avenue in Manila.
They would then converge at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City before they would go back to their point of origin.
It was not immediately clear, however, if Marcos and Duterte would be present during the caravan but organizers said there are political personalities who are expected to join.
Based on the condition given to the organizers, the motorcade would be non-stop must begin at 6 a.m. and end at 10 a.m., noting that it has to be on schedule as the routes includes major malls where people are expected to go during weekend. The plan is to ensure that the caravan would end before the mall operating hours begin.
Those who would be using tricycles are banned along EDSA while those who would be using bicycles would strictly use the bike lanes.