LIST: Who are qualified for coding, truck ban exemption amid fuel disruption

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday identified the specific goods that cargo trucks and vehicles must carry to qualify for exemption from the truck ban and number coding scheme.

In MMDA Resolution No. 26-07, series of 2026, the agency reiterated that only fuel trucks and vehicles transporting “essential goods” will be allowed to operate despite the restrictions. 

The exemption was approved during a recent Metro Manila Council meeting following a request from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

To guide implementation, the MMDA coordinated with the DTI and cited the Price Act in determining which goods are covered by the exemption:

Basic necessities such as, but not limited to: 

• rice, corn, root crops, bread;
• fresh, dried or canned fish and other marine products;
• fresh pork, beef and poultry meat; 
• fresh eggs; 
• potable water in bottles and containers; 
• fresh and processed milk; 
• fresh vegetables and fruits; 
• locally manufactured instant noodles; 
• coffee; 
• sugar, cooking oil; salt; 
• laundry soap and detergents; 
• firewood; 
• charcoal; 
• household liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and kerosene; candles; 
• drugs classified as essential by the Department of Health (DOH)

Prime commodities such as, but not limited to:

• fresh fruits;
• flour; 
• dried, processed or canned pork; 
• beef and poultry meat; 
• dairy products not falling under basic necessities; 
• onion, garlic, vinegar, patis, soy sauce; 
• toilet soap; 
• fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides; 
• poultry, livestock and fishery feeds and veterinary products; 
• paper; 
• school supplies; 
• nipa shingles; 
• sawali; 
• cement; 
• clinker; 
• GI sheets; 
• hollow blocks; 
• plywood; 
• plyboard; 
• construction nails; 
• batteries; 
• electrical supplies; 
• light bulbs; 
• steel wire; 
• all drugs not classified as essential drugs by the DOH

The MMDA said the clarification aims to ensure the unhampered delivery of fuel and key commodities, especially in light of possible supply disruptions due to the tensions in the Middle East.

According to the MMDA, this exemption is already provided under the Metro Manila Traffic Code of 2023. —VAL, GMA Integrated News