PH Supreme Court suspends NCAP implementation

The Supreme Court of the Philippines (SC) has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of the no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) for motorists.

Based on a media briefer, the country’s high court said the temporary stoppage of the traffic program shall be “effective immediately and until further orders."

“The court resolved, and without necessarily giving due course to the Petitions, to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO), effective immediately and until further orders from the Court, enjoining all respondents from the implementation of the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) programs and ordinances related thereto. The Court also said that any apprehensions through the NCAP programs and ordinances related thereto shall be prohibited until further orders from the Court,” the SC stated.

Further, the SC is also barring the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and all parties acting on its behalf “from giving out motorist information to all local government units, cities, and municipalities enforcing NCAP programs and ordinances.”

The SC will hear the two petitions challenging NCAP’s legality on January 24 next year.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as well as the cities of Paranaque, Valenzuela, Quezon City have announced that they will abide by the SC order.

In a Facebook post, the Quezon City government shared that the program has “significantly reduced the traffic violations in the affected areas by 93 percent." “It has shown that it instills a culture of traffic discipline among motorists and we believe that its implementation is legal and proper," the Quezon City government noted.

On the other hand, the Valenzuela City government assured that city traffic enforcers will remain active on duty and urged motorists to continue practicing due diligence on the road.

Earlier, LTO Chief Teofilo Guadiz III ordered for the creation of a technical working group to discuss issues revolving around NCAP and asked the local government units to suspend the implementation of the contactless apprehension program.

Photos from Ruben D. Manahan IV, Quezon City and Valenzuela City Facebook pages

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