The City Government has revised the number coding scheme by using the last digit of the food and medicine (FM) pass starting this week.
The City Information Office released a statement on the guideline, which becomes effective at 12:01 of April 22.
Police, soldiers, and barangay officials will now check the last digit on the FM pass to determine if the holder is authorized to go out of their house.
Under the new guideline, FM passes with the last digits 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 can only be used on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The FM pass with last digits of 2, 4, 6, 8, 0 can only be used on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
All passes are still not allowed on Sundays. Only authorized persons outside their residences can go out to work.
Meanwhile, residents are asked to write their cluster number and their number code, using a marker or a pentel pen, at the back of their FM Pass. The numbers should be in large texts so they could be easily read by the authorities.
Mayor Sara Duterte had earlier mandated a “no-touch rule” on the FM passes during checkpoints. Instead, the holder should raise the pass at an eye-level for the frontliner to read the information.
The clustering of barangays, despite some criticisms, will still be enforced. The FM pass is a requirement in buying or collecting medicine and food from within the cluster where the holder’s barangay is located.
FM Passes can also be used to go to the hospital or clinic, although emergency cases do not require such a document.
