The Metro Manila Development Authority on Friday clarified that physicians and medical doctors responding to emergency cases need not apply for an exemption from the unified vehicular volume reduction program or the number coding scheme.
According to MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos, medical practitioners in an emergency only need to show their updated Professional Regulation Commission identification cards in case they are flagged down by traffic enforcers for UVVRP violation.
He said this new guideline shows that the agency recognizes the necessity of unhampered travel for medical doctors responding to emergencies.
“We are optimistic that this new rule will not be abused by doctors and that they will be conscientious in using this privilege,” Orbos said.
Under the expanded UVVRP, the coverage of the number coding scheme has been extended to all circumferential and radial roads in the metropolis. The time of effectivity of the ban has also been extended for an hour, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from the previous 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The expanded UVVRP also implemented the No Window Hours policy.
Before the implementation of the modified number coding scheme, the window hours used to be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to Orbos, this measure will take effect immediately.
Section 5(k) of MMDA Memorandum Circular Number 3 series of 2011 automatically exempts medical doctors in an emergency case, provided that they are present in the vehicle.
Based on the MMDA advisory, the following are automatically exempted from the scheme:—Emergency vehicles (police, military, ambulance, fire trucks); Government service vehicles (red plate); diplomatic vehicles; accredited tow trucks; vehicles carrying persons who need emergency attention and medical practitioners responding to emergency cases.
Vehicles with commemorative plates are not exempted from the UVVRP.
The MMDA public information office said media personnel and outlets that are using unmarked or unofficial vehicles during coverage need to apply for exemption from the scheme.
Assessment of the MMDA on the full implementation of the number coding scheme showed that motorists reduced their travel by 10 to 15 minutes along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from Monumento in Caloocan City to Baclaran in Pasay City.
Members of the Metro Manila Council recently agreed with the proposal to extend the window hour suspension in the number coding scheme to one hour from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to 7 a.m.-8 p.m.
The MMC, which is composed of the 17 mayors in Metro Manila, also signed a resolution expanding the coverage of the traffic scheme to at least 15 main roads, most of them circumferential and radial roads.
The 15 main roads are Rizal Avenue, Claro M. Recto Avenue, Taft Avenue, Del Pan Street, President Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Marcos Highway, Mac Arthur Highway, Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue, Magsaysay Boulevard, Aurora Boulevard, A. Bonifacio Avenue and South Luzon Expressway.
The MMC initially approved the areas covered by the scheme are Edsa, Circumferential Road-5 (C-5 Road), Alabang-Zapote Road, Roxas Boulevard, and in the cities of Mandaluyong, Makati, and Las Piñas.
The number coding scheme, was devised to keep vehicles out of major thoroughfares on certain days based on the last digit of the license plate.
The system corresponds to 1 and 2 for Monday, 3 and 4 for Tuesday, 5 and 6 for Wednesday, 7 and 8 for Thursday, and 9 and 0 for Friday.
The window hours refer to the five-hour (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) period, but removing this means the vehicles covered by the Number Coding Scheme may not pass Edsa and other major thoroughfares.
MMDA officials admit that the increasing number of private vehicles is the major cause of the traffic jams along Edsa. They say more than 6,800 vehicles are using Edsa per hour in one direction higher than the artery’s capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour.
The agency said about 6,000 cars are sold in the country each month, and that 90 percent of the vehicles using Edsaare private.