THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) today emphasized it will implement a strict physical apprehension and will deploy additional traffic personnel on the ground after the Supreme Court’s issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) of its No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP).
MMDA acting Spokesperson and head of Legal Service Atty. Cris Saruca, Jr. stated that the additional manpower will cover the areas where NCAP cameras are located including EDSA, Commonwealth, Quezon Avenue, Roxas Boulevard, C-5, and Macapagal Blvd.
Saruca added that while the NCAP has contributed to behavioral shift of motorists, the agency will do its best to efficiently perform its mandate on traffic and transport management sans the policy.
“Rest assured that the MMDA, through the leadership of Acting Chairman Engineer Carlo Dimayuga III, will do its best to carry out our traffic management mandate by apprehending physically and directing traffic physically, as we await final resolution on the NCAP case.”
Saruca also stressed that the MMDA will consult the Office of the Solicitor General to seek advice on its next action and whether it will have to intervene on the pending petition as it is not a respondent to the case.
Meanwhile, collection of NCAP fines shall also stop for those who have been apprehended by the policy after the issuance of TRO yesterday. Apprehension which happened prior to the TRO shall still be subject to corresponding penalties.
“The Supreme Court said that the TRO is effective immediately and shall continue until further notice, hence, it is prospective, and those who have been caught through the policy prior to the issuance of the TRO still have to pay their fines,” Saruca explained.
According to the official, the MMDA registered more or less 107,000 NCAP apprehensions from January until August 24 of this year. Common violations include disregarding traffic signs, number coding scheme, and no loading and unloading.
Even without the NCAP, Saruca hoped that discipline among motorists will be maintained to ensure smooth traffic flow and for the safety of all road users.
