MMDA: Number coding’s window hours to stay

The window hours of the current number coding scheme will be retained indefinitely, despite the holiday rush, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). “Based on our two-week study, we can still make do with our roads in Metro Manila not being parking lots [even without the window hours-less number coding scheme] while Christmas comes closer,” MMDA Chair Romando Artes told a press briefing on Friday. Since August last year, the MMDA has enforced the expanded number coding scheme but only during the morning and evening rush hours on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Only Makati City implements an uninterrupted number coding on its roads from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Artes said the move was also to give way for motorists who only own one vehicle, and would be adversely affected by the lifting of the window hours. —Dexter Cabalza

Abalos hails Adacs’ ‘heroes’ in campaign vs drugs

Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos described the Anti-Drug Abuse Councils (Adacs) at the provincial, city and municipal levels as “heroes” of the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. According to Abalos, the Adacs—numbering 81 in the provincial level; 146 in the cities, and 1,488 in the municipalities—were at the forefront of this ongoing battle. “This war on drugs will always be fought at the grassroots level. And Adacs are the first in line in this war. You are the heroes of the country in fighting illegal drugs,” he said during this year’s Adac Performance Awards in Quezon City. The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Wednesday recognized 246 local governments for their remarkable accomplishments and success in the battle against illegal drugs in their respective areas. The awardees were chosen based on the Adac functionality and sustainability of drug-free or drug-cleared status. Based on data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, 27,903 out of the 42,045 barangays in the country were declared drug-cleared. This figure was 11.3 percent higher than the 25,061 drug-cleared barangays by the end of the previous administration in 2022. —Dexter Cabalza

Smartmatic hits back at critics’ ‘unfounded’ claims

Facing multiple disqualification petitions lodged against it, poll technology provider Smartmatic on Saturday accused its critics of “delegitimizing” elected government officials with their “unfounded” claims that “lack any evidence.” “The petitioners’ clear objective is both political, attempting to delegitimize the government and commercial, supporting Smartmatic competitors,” Smartmatic said in a statement. The United Kingdom-based firm also pointed out that the petitioners, led by former Infotech Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr., “have not demonstrated a single vote discrepancy.” The accuracy of its automated election system “has been consistently proven, validated by [Commission on Elections’] records, random manual audits and independent audits and recounts by watchdogs,” Smartmatic said. —Kathleen de Villa