Feb. 27, 2026 – Mayor Benjamin Magalong has reminded the public that the exemption of senior citizens from the BLISTT (Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay) area from the city’s Number Coding Ordinance from 9 a.m to 3 p.m. for medical and work purposes has been in effect since December last year.
The mayor signed City Council Ordinance No. 94 on November 21, 2025 for this purpose. The ordinance further amended section 6 of Ordinance No. 1-2003 or the Number Coding Ordinance (which had been previously amended by Ordinance Nos. 31-2004 and 107-2008) to provide for the senior citizens’ exemption.
Authored by Councilor Jose Molintas, the measure specifically provides coding respite to “private motor vehicles transporting senior citizen/s who are resident/s of BLISTT… either as drivers or passenger/s, to and from a medical clinic, hospital, or place of work from 9:00 o’clock in the morning to 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon.”
The ordinance said the exemption would allow elderly people “easier access to their medical services and mobility to and from their workplaces” which translates to increased contribution to nation-building.
Before granting the exemption, the City subjected the seniors’ coding exemption scheme to an experiment from August 19, 2024 to January 31, 2025 and later conducted a traffic impact assessment through the traffic technical working group created for the purpose.
The TWG later found that the exemption had negligible impact on the city’s traffic situation noting no significant changes in vehicle volume-to-capacity ratio and level of service.
With the latest amendment, the number coding exemptions now cover the following:
“SECTION 6. EXEMPTION. – This Ordinance shall not apply to the following:
“a. Chartered mini-buses from outside the City of Baguio used for lakbay-aral or excursion purposes,
“b. Government-owned motor vehicles with red plates used in the performance of official functions;
“c. Vehicles of the Philippine Postal Corporation used for mail delivery;
“d. Armored cars used by banks for bulk money transfer;
“e. Motor vehicles used in cases of emergency posing danger to life and
limb;
“f. Water delivery trucks when assisting in fire control;
“g. Service vehicles of public utility companies performing emergency repairs within the number coding zone;
”h. School services registered by the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board in ferrying pre-school elementary and high school students from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 2: 00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in schools located within the number coding zone.
“i. Private motor vehicles and chartered public utility vehicles of visitors, tourists, vacationers, or participants of sanctioned activities such as conventions, conferences and assemblies.
“The sponsoring groups of the conventions, seminars, conference or
assemblies be required to issue to their participants the necessary stickers or
documents showing that the owners or
or possessors thereof are participants in the conventions, seminars,
conferences or assemblies; and
“j. Private Motor Vehicles transporting senior citizen/s who are resident/s of BLISTT (Baguio City La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan,Tuba and Tublay), either as drivers or passenger/s, to and from a medical clinic, hospital, or place of work from 9:00 o’clock in the morning to 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon. ** Aileen P. Refuerzo
