New leadership of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) under new chairman Francis Tolentino is now targeting abusive government officials who seek special exemption to the number-coding scheme for their vehicles.

This developed after the agency learned that 75 percent of individuals applying for exemption to number coding schemes are government officials.

Yves Gonzalez, MMDA spokesperson, said that there are 8,900 vehicles that have been granted exemptions from July to September 2010.

Of the figures, Gonzalez said that 75 percent or 6,393 are private vehicles belonging to government officials, adding that one general, he refused to name, regularly seeks exemption for 40 vehicles.

As a result, the agency is now drafting a new memorandum containing new guidelines in seeking for vehicle exemption. It is being given by the MMDA in a quarterly basis to qualified motorists, or on a case to case basis, as warranted by the circumstances.