Lawyer files SC petition vs no-contact citations

A lawyer who was fined over P20,000 for alleged traffic violations in Manila that had been recorded through the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) has filed the second challenge against its legality before the Supreme Court.

Like the four transport groups that filed the first petition earlier this week, Juman Paa also asked the high tribunal to temporarily stop the implementation of the policy that uses closed-circuit television cameras to catch in the act motorists committing traffic violations.

The Supreme Court has already ordered the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the local governments of Manila, Valenzuela, Parañaque, Quezon City, and Muntinlupa to respond to the first petition.

Paa asked the court to declare the NCAP unconstitutional in Manila for violating due process and the right to data privacy. The lawyer said he wanted to renew his vehicle registration at LTO on June 29 but was refused because of unpaid fines for four traffic violations recorded through NCAP last year. The fines totaling P13,000 had ballooned to P20,360 due to penalties, he added. Paa also complained about the lack of due process, saying he did not receive any notices about his supposed violations.

Despite the pending cases and mounting calls from both the LTO and motorists for the NCAP’s temporary suspension, five Metro Manila mayors, including Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, issued a joint statement on Thursday backing the policy’s continued implementation in their respective cities.

The other signatories were Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Parañaque Mayor Eric Olivarez and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora.

READ: 5 Metro Manila cities to continue no-contact apprehension policy

They cited in their statement that President Marcos had emphasized the digitizing of government services to enhance accessibility as he urged all local governments to engage in “proactive and beneficial” joint ventures and public-private partnerships.

A “good example” of this initiative was the NCAP which, the mayors added, is widely used in other countries like the United States, Singapore, South Korea, India and Malaysia.

“With this in mind, we … have joined together on a common stance to continue the implementation of NCAP within our respective territorial jurisdictions and vow to continuously improve infrastructure and road conditions foreseeing the need for a safer environment for our constituents,” they said.

Benefits

They also cited the benefits of the policy, including the elimination of corruption by minimizing human intervention in traffic enforcement, creating a “culture of discipline” among motorists, ensuring road safety, and effectively reducing traffic violations and accidents.

Regarding complaints, the mayors said the NCAP had “never disregarded motorists’ due process since each (local government) has their respective traffic adjudication boards where motorists can contest and file protests or appeals.”

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also issued a separate statement throwing its support behind the five local governments.

“Empirical evidence clearly showed that the MMDA’s own version of the [NCAP] was and continues to be an effective force multiplier to its traffic enforcers on the ground and has, in fact, raised public awareness on and compliance with existing traffic and transport laws, rules and regulations,” acting MMDA chair Carlo Dimayuga III said.

READ: SC asked to stop no-contact apprehension policy

He added, however, that the agency was mindful of concerns raised about the NCAP’s implementation and expressed his willingness to hold “future collaborative and construction discussions with all stakeholders in order to craft a wholistic, just and inclusive NCAP.”

On Wednesday, LTO chief Teofilo Guadiz III announced the formation of a panel that would hold talks with Metro local governments and the MMDA to craft “fair” guidelines on the NCAP’s implementation.

The other Metro cities implementing the policy are Muntinlupa, Pasig, and Makati.