Number Coding in the Philippines 2019 [Everything you need to know]

If you drive in the Philippines, the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) is something that must have been imprinted in your head by now. While many of the Filipinos appreciate the UVVRP system or shall we say the Number Coding practice followed in the country, the same has also bugged a decent part of the Philippine population ever since its implementation. Before planning a trip, you must take into consideration the Number Coding in your region and should be aware of the window hours as well.

So, how familiar are you with the Number Coding in the Philippines? If not much, today's story might just help you out. Also, even if the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) is well known to you, a revision never hurts, right?

What is it, and when did it all begin?

In simplest of the words, the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Number Coding was implemented to control and reduce traffic. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Memorandum Regulation No. 95-001 came into action in 1995 and was then revised next year in 1996 via the MMDA Memorandum Regulation No. 96-005. Now, in 2019, the authority has banned vehicles with number plates ending with specific numbers on different days of the week from Monday to Friday.

Restrictions in the Metro Manila stand as:

• Monday: Plates ending with 1 and 2
• Tuesday: Plates ending with 3 and 4
• Wednesday: Plates ending with 5 and 6
• Thursday: Plates ending with 7 and 8
• Friday: Plates ending with 9 and 0

The restrictions mentioned above stay active from 7 AM to 8 PM on their respective days. If you're already guessing about the window hours, the roads that do not feature any window hours include Edsa, Circumferential Roads, and Roxas Boulevard. Moreover, if you ride a motorcycle, the Number Coding doesn't hold any significance to you as two-wheelers are spared from the tedious Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) regulations.

What are window hours?

During a duration of five or seven hours, i.e., from 10 AM to 3 PM or 9 AM to 4 PM you can drive your vehicle even if the number plate is banned on a particular day. As it is the time when window hours are active. However, not all the cities and roads feature window hours. Cities that feature window hours are as follows. 

Window hours from 10 AM to 3 PM:

• Caloocan
• Malabon
• Manila
• Navotas
• Pateros
• Quezon City
• San Juan

Window hours from 9 AM to 4 PM:

• Parañaque
• Pasig

If we talk specifically about Metro Manila, the roads with no window hours whatsoever include:

Circumferential Roads:

• C-1 Road (Recto Avenue, Pedro Casal Street, Ayala Boulevard, Finance Drive, Padre Burgos Avenue)
• C-2 Road (Capulong Street, Tayuman Street, Lacson Avenue, Quirino Avenue)
• C-3 Road (C-3 Road Navotas, 5th Avenue, Sergeant E. Rivera Avenue, Gregorio Araneta Avenue, Metro Manila Skybridge, South Avenue, Ayala Avenue Extension, Gil Puyat Avenue)
• C-4 Road (C-4 Road in Malabon, Paterio Aquino Avenue, Samson Road, EDSA)
• C-5 Road (Mindanao Avenue Congressional Avenue, Luzon Avenue, Tandang Sora Avenue, Katipunan Avenue, Bonny Serrano Avenue, E. Rodriguez Jr. Carlos P. Garcia Avenue)
• C-6 Road (from Napindan, Pasig to Lower Bicutan, Taguig)

Radial Roads:

• R-1 Road (Bonifacio Drive to Roxas Boulevard)
• R-2 Road (Taft Avenue in Manila to Diego Cera Avenue in Las Piñas)
• R-3 Road (Osmeña Highway from Quirino Avenue to Nichols Interchange)
• R-4 Road (Pasig Line Street, Kalayaan Avenue, Elizco Road)
• R-5 Road (V. Mapa Street, P. Sanchez Street, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue Extension)
• R-6 Road (Legarda Street, Magsaysay Boulevard, Aurora Boulevard, Marcos Highway)
• R-7 Road (Lerma Avenue, España Boulevard, Elliptical Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Quirino Highway)
• R-8 Road (Quezon Boulevard, Alfonso Mendoza Street, Dimasalang Street, Bonifacio Avenue up to EDSA-Balintawak Interchange)
• R-9 Road (Rizal Avenue, MacArthur Highway to Valenzuela-Meycauayan Bridge)
• R-10 Road (from Anda Circle to C-4 Road in Navotas)

Other roads without window hours:

• Alabang-Zapote Road
• A. Mabini Street
• Marcos Highway
• McArthur Highway

Cities without Number Coding:

Yes, there are still some cities in the Philippines that have not implemented the Number Coding system yet. Following are the Philippine cities where you can drive easily without worrying about the Number Coding:

• Marikina
• Muntinlupa
• Taguig

As we have heard all our lives, "exceptions are everywhere", there are roads in the abovementioned cities where the Number Coding is active. Below are the streets with active Number Coding even in the cities where the practice is not followed yet:

• Marikina: Marcos Highway
• Muntinlupa: Alabang-Zapote Road
• Taguig: C-5 Road (Carlos P. Garcia Avenue), C-6 Road, East Service Road, M.L. Quezon Street

Vehicle exempted from the Number Coding

Vehicles belonging to some particular departments and services need to operate 24x7 and can't adhere to the Numer Coding. Considering the same, MMDA released a memorandum in 2011 that exempted some vehicles from the UVVRP. The list includes the following vehicles:

• Ambulance, police cars, and firetrucks
• Cargo trucks exceeding 4,500 kilograms
• Government emergency purposes
• Diplomatic vehicles with a blue plate
• Government vehicles
• MMDA-accredited tow trucks

While the authorities have already excluded some of the more important vehicles from the UVVRP or Number Coding, individuals or organisations can request to have their vehicle(s) exempted from the restrictions as well. School buses, vehicles belonging to media practitioners, emergency care doctors, company shuttles, people with disabilities, Department of Tourism-accredited vehicles, and some others can request for an exception.

Odd-even number scheme in Pasig City

With most of the cities in the Philippines following the Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program (UVVRP) or Number Coding, Pasig City has come up with a method of its own to combat heavy traffic. The city has implemented an odd-even scheme that stays active from 6 AM to 10 PM and bans plates ending with odd/even numbers on different days of the week. There is no ban on Sundays, though.

• Plates with 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 at the end are banned on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• Plates with 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 at the end are banned on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

As if the odd-even rule wasn't already confusing enough, only a few roads in Pasig City fall under the restrictions. And, if you are found driving with a plate ending with an even number on an odd day or the other way around, be ready to pay Php 500. The roads that feature the odd-even rule in Pasig City are:

• Elsico Road-R. Jabson Street-M. Concepcion Avenue intersection
• San Guillermo Street eastbound
• Sandoval Avenue northbound
• Elisco Road westbound
• R. Jabson Street northbound
• Francisco Legaspi Bridge westbound

There you have it. Did we make things easy for you or it has all got messed up inside of your head? For now, the only way to get by the Number Coding and Pasig City's odd-even rule is to memorize the restricted roads along with their window hours, if there are any. Even if you are frustrated by the laws, just suppose that you're doing your bit for easing out the traffic in your region. However, in case you ride a motorcycle, you are one lucky person in the Philippines, aren't you?

Also Read: Rights you must know when getting arrested by a traffic enforcer