FILE PHOTO: The Supreme Court logo. (INQUIRER/LYN RILLON)
MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has reset to an earlier date the oral arguments on the petitions challenging the legality of the No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP) undertaken by several local government units in the National Capital Region and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“The Court resolved to reschedule the oral arguments in the case from January 24, 2023, to December 6, 2022, at 2 p.m.,” the SC said through its Public Information Office.
It also set the preliminary conference of the case on November 4 and ordered that the MMDA be furnished a copy of the petition and to answer it within 10 days from receipt.
Last month, the SC temporarily stopped the implementation of NCAP by the local government units of Manila, Muntinlupa, Quezon City, Paranaque, and Valenzuela.
The temporary restraining order was due to a consolidated petition. The first was filed by several transport groups such as the Kilusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Transportasyon Inc. (KAPIT), Pangkalahatang Sagguniang Manila, and Suburbs Drivers Association Nationwide (Pasang-Masda), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO).
Juman B. Paa filed the second petition.
READ: Lawyer who gets P20K worth of no-contact apprehension penalty seeks SC help
Petitioners said the NCAP is unconstitutional as it violates their right to due process.
They argued in their petition 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.”
READ: SC asked to stop no-contact apprehension policy
The NCAP utilized CCTV and digital cameras to identify and apprehend traffic violators through videos and images captured committing their violations.
Once a violation is detected, the LGU concerned issues traffic citation tickets and mails them directly to the vehicle’s registered owners.
Vehicles whose owners fail to pay their fines within seven days will be refused registration.
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