MANILA – The city government of Manila has made enough preparations to ensure the security of foreign delegates in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia, Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno said Tuesday. Moreno said some 3,000 foreign nationals are expected to arrive in Manila to attend the event, which will be held around Rizal Park. "Nagkaroon ang mahabang preparasyon ang Shell at city government of Manila, partikular sa Manila Police District, at naihanda naman ang enough, hopefully, na seguridad sa mangyayaring event na ito," Moreno told ABS-CBN's "Umagang Kay Ganda". Moreno said the city hopes to finally shed the bad reputation it earned from the hostage crisis that gripped it in 2010 and resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists. The incident remains a hot issue in Hong Kong. Recently, the special administrative region imposed sanctions to the Philippines for the latter's failure to formally apologize over the incident. "We are welcoming this type of event [because] a few years ago hindi kaila sa atin na may madugo at malungkot na pangyayari sa lugar na ito," he said. "Sa mga mata naman ng turista, mabura na sana ito at maramdaman nilang ligtas sila sa Manila." Moreno, meanwhile, appealed to motorists to take alternate routes as the event is likely to cause traffic around the park. Due to the marathon, traffic along Roxas Boulevard, between T.M. Kalaw and P. Burgos Streets, will be diverted and re-routed. From February 2 to 12, southbound motorists or those going to Pasay area from Bonifacio Drive should turn left to P. Burgos, right to Ma. Orosa, right to T.M. Kalaw, and left to reach Roxas Boulevard. From February 2 to 5 and February 10 to 12 (12 a.m. to 4 a.m.), northbound motorists along Roxas Boulevard going to Intramuros or port area should turn right at T.M. Kalaw, left to Ma. Orosa, left to P. Burgos, and right to reach Bonifacio Drive. First in PH Students from 16 countries across Asia and the Middle East are set to to compete in the fifth annual Shell Eco-marathon Asia. The super-mileage competition moves for the first time from the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Luneta Park, Manila. Of the 157 student teams, 17 teams are from the Philippines' top engineering schools. Representing the Philippines are teams from Adamson University, De La Salle Dasmarinas, De La Salle University, Don Bosco Technical College, Mapua Institute of Technology, Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Manila, Technological Institute of the Philippines - Manila, Technological Institute of the Philippines – Quezon City, University of San Carlos and University of Santo Tomas. The teams started designing and building their energy-efficient vehicle since last year. Success is not measured by speed – it is measured by who can drive farthest on one gallon of fuel and become the most fuel efficient team by thinking creatively about energy efficiency and putting new ideas into practice. Beyond the student competition, Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 will for the first time convene partners and other stakeholders around the future of energy, technology and mobility. Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 will broaden to include two new events – The Shell Energy Lab and the Powering Progress Together Forum. Both will spark reflection on the world’s food, water and energy resource challenges; the Energy Lab through interactive games and exhibits for families, and the forum through discussion among delegates from government, business, and civil society. – with a report from Francis Faulve, ABS-CBN News
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