MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – World leaders will gather in Manila this week for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, and the Philippines is putting its best foot forward to make the meeting a huge and memorable success — for the visitors.

Meanwhile, Filipinos have been asked by their goverment to make ‘small’ sacrifices:

1. Postpone or cancel travel plans because international and domestic commercial flights into and out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have  been cancelled to make way for arriving and departing APEC dignitaries and delegates.
2. Give up a week’s worth of wages and/or productivity due to the closure of private and public offices.
3. Give up a week’s worth of new knowledge because of the closure of schools.
4. Expect interruption of Internet connectivity because the cyberspace has been reserved for exclusive APEC use only.
5. Give up two lanes of busy roadways (see photo) to ensure that APEC delegates will not be late for their meetings and cocktail receptions.
6. For residents of high-rise condominiums along or near the APEC meeting venues: keep their curtains closed at all times and avoid hanging out in their balconies — for security reasons.
7. For the homeless population: give up a week’s worth of panhandling earnings because they will be rounded up and hidden from public view.
8. There will be shortened hours for shopping at all Metro Manila malls and mega malls.
9. Postpone or cancel all romantic dates along the famed Manila Bay and Roxas Boulevard, site of the APEC meetings — again for security reasons.
10. Last but not the least, there will be no episode of AlDub, the street series of the popular noontime TV Show, ‘Eat Bulaga’ on GMA Channel 7.

It might as well be ‘Holy Week’ for all Filipino catholics!

On the positive side, there will be no cases of laglag bala at NAIA all week!