Bill modernizing Philippine ZIP code system gets final House nod


At a glance

  • Congressmen have passed a measure that seeks to change the current ZIP codes in the country in a bid to modernize them.


Congressmen have passed a measure that seeks to change the current ZIP codes in the country in a bid to modernize them.

Approved Tuesday, Jan. 28 on third and final reading was House Bill (HB) No. 11255 or the "Modernized ZIP Code System Act". It will institutionalize a modernized alphanumeric ZIP code that will be composed of two alphabetic characters that represent the provinces and five Arabic numerals assigned to the city, municipality, or barangay.

According to the measure, all 42,011 barangays in the Philippines shall be assigned a unique alphanumeric ZIP code.

It says the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPOST) "shall ensure that the system allows flexibility in accommodating the creation, division, merger, or abolition of a barangay, through a law or ordinance, and shall regularly coordinate with the Department of the Interior and LocalGovernment (DILG) and other concerned government agencies".

With a modernized system, the PHLPOST shall also update its website’s ZIP Code Locator in order to allow the public to search with ease the ZIP code of a certain barangay and vice versa.

"A transitory period of thirty-six months from the effectivity of this Act shall be set for all national government agencies, local government units, government-owned or -controlled corporations, and private sector entities to update their database using the new ZIP Code System," the measure read.

"The PHLPOST shall develop and implement, together with the communications offices of all government agencies, an information and education campaign on the modernized ZIP Code System to all sectors, within ninety days after the effectivity of this Act," it added.