Four transport groups have petitioned the Supreme Court to scrap the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) implemented by five cities in Metro Manila.
The petitioners asked the highest tribunal to declare as unconstitutional the program that uses closed-circuit television systems and digital cameras to catch motorists in the act of committing traffic violations.
The said petitioners are the Kilusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Transportasyon Inc., Pasang Masda, Alliance of Concerted Transport Organizations and Altodap.
They claim that motorists are “under constant threat of being arbitrarily apprehended remotely and issued notices of violation for alleged traffic offenses committed without any contact whatsoever.”
However, the mayors of Parañaque, Valenzuela, Quezon City, Manila, and Muntinlupa, where the NCAP is being implemented, said that NCAP has helped them improve traffic conditions and reduce corruption among enforcers.
Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian told the Inquirer that without a court order, they fully intended to continue the program while also studying how to craft uniform guidelines to improve its implementation.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO), together with DOTr Assistant Secretary Teofilo Guadiz III, has already appealed to the local government units (LGUs) implementing NCAP to suspend and consider reviewing the traffic policy.
“Once well-defined guidelines are drafted, this can perhaps be emulated by other cities who may want to implement their own NCAP,” Guadiz said.
