5 Metro Manila cities to continue no-contact apprehension policy
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MANILA, Philippines — Despite a petition filed in the Supreme Court asking to stop the implementation of the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP), five Metro Manila cities held their ground and vowed to continue it, saying it provides motorists with a safe environment.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the mayors of the five cities expressed their common stand to continue with the implementation of the NCAP as they vowed to continuously improve infrastructure and road conditions for motorists.
The joint statement was signed by Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Parañaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora and Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna.
“As we move forward, the undersigned Local Chief Executives in the exercise of our powers as such in full consideration of the promotion of the general welfare of our respective constituents, shall continue to implement NCAP within our cities,” the mayors said.
According to the mayors, use of the NCAP as approved by their respective city councils have resulted in the following:
- Minimization of human intervention in traffic enforcement, thereby eliminating corruption
- created a culture of discipline among motorists and the improvement of driving behavior
- ensured road safety and proven effective in reducing traffic violations and traffic-related accidents.
Earlier, various transport groups have asked the Supreme Court to issue an injunction against the enforcement of the NCAP arguing that motorists were “under constant threat of being arbitrarily apprehended remotely and issued notices of violation for alleged traffic offenses committed without any contact whatsoever.”
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) also urged local government units to suspend the implementation of NCAP, after some motorists were asked to pay for fines despite not committing any violations, while some motorists have complained of being fined twice for the same violation.
The five Metro mayors in their statement, however, said the implementation of the NCAP never disregarded motorists’ due process “since each local government unit has their respective traffic adjudication boards where motorists can contest and file protests or appeals.”
They added that the effective implementation of the said policy requires the cooperation between LGUs and government agencies like the LTO.
“We therefore collectively urge all relevant government agencies to stand with us in pursuing and continuously innovating this internationally-proven program for effective traffic management,” the mayors said.
On Wednesday, Quezon City Fourth District Rep. Marvin Rillo filed a resolution directing three House committees to conduct a probe on the NCAP.
LTO chief Teofilo Guadiz III, meanwhile, urged Metro Manila mayors to confer with the LTO and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to review the NCAP’s policies, and to form a technical working group to resolve the issues hounding it.
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