KENNON Road will be reopened from February 15 to 20 to service visitors attending the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Alumni Homecoming, as well as the expected influx of visitors and political candidates as the national campaign period enters in full swing.
The use of Kennon Road was permitted in a bid to preempt potential congestion of inbound traffic along the city’s roads, as a bypass road branching off of Kennon leads directly to PMA through Barangay Loakan.
Only residents of communities along Kennon have been allowed to use the road in recent years, as the road has been plagued by the regular threat of erosion and rockslides and is subject to rehabilitation projects.
About 800 PMA graduates, along with their family members, and private and government security personnel, are expected to attend the homecoming with President Rodrigo Duterte as the scheduled homecoming speaker on February 19 inside the PMA’s Fort Del Pilar.
Albert Mogol, head of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF), said that the PMA was allowed to conduct the homecoming in a “hybrid” form, with in-person gatherings to be held on open grounds in the academy to avoid the risk of transmission.
Parades and class picnics that are typically part of the homecoming have been disallowed due to Baguio’s heightened alert level, as well as alumni-cadet interaction.
Participants attending the homecoming are required to present negative COVID-19 test results prior to entry to Fort Del Pilar, even for fully vaccinated individuals who are allowed entry into the city.
PMA individuals are also to be provided stickers by the PMA for the purpose of identification by the policemen manning the roads.
