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Metro Manila cities suspend no-contact apprehension policy

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ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Metro Manila cities with no-contact apprehension policies (NCAP) in place say they have no choice but to suspend their implementation, but will look into their option to appeal the 5-month temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/30/22/sc-halts-no-contact-apprehension-program">SC temporarily halts no-contact apprehension program, sets oral arguments</a></li></ul><p>Quezon City legal officer Atty. Niño Casimiro and Manila City spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante told TeleRadyo on Tuesday that they will decide whether or not an appeal will be filed once they get a copy of the TRO.</p><p>Casimiro and Abante said the NCAP, during its implementation in their respective cities, significantly decreased the number of traffic violations.</p><p>In Quezon City, Casimiro said data showed a 93-percent reduction in traffic violations.</p><p>&quot;Pwede nating sabihin na naging mas ligtas at naging mas disiplinado &#x27;yung kalsada natin... &#x27;Yung mga drivers natin, kahit papa&#x27;no, naging disiplinado,&quot; he said.</p><p>(We can say that our roads became safer because drivers became more disciplined.)</p><p>Manila has the same assessment, with traffic violations decreasing by 47 percent, and fatal and non-fatal accidents down by 50 percent.</p><p>&quot;Dito sa mga NCAP areas, nakita din talaga yung pagbabago at improvement sa traffic situation and motorists&#x27; mindset around the area&quot;, Abante said. </p><p>(We can see an improvement in the traffic situation and in the mindset of drivers in areas where the NCAP was implemented.)</p><p>The NCAP has been in effect in Manila since 2019.</p><p>Muntinlupa Mayor Ruffy Biazon, meanwhile, said that while his city is not yet implementing the NCAP, he will look into the issues raised by petitioners against it.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2203602" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>&quot;In principle kasi, ano ako eh, advocate ako ng use of technology in governance. So, including traffic management, kung merong magagamit na technology, very much willing ako na gawin yun, subukan yun. Pero of course, may appropriate din na paninigurado na magiging smooth ang implementation,&quot; he said.</p><p>(In principle, I&#x27;m an advocate of the use of technology in governance. So, including traffic management, if there&#x27;s technology we can use, I&#x27;m willing to try it. But of course, there must be safeguards in place to ensure its smooth implementation.)</p><p>Valenzuela City says it respects the Supreme Court&#x27;s stop order on the NCAP and has deployed more enforcers to watch the roads.</p><p>In a statement, the city said it suspended its NCAP on Tuesday.</p><p>The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will also abide by the high court&#x27;s order and suspend its own NCAP.</p><p>MMDA spokesperson Atty. Crisanto Saruca Jr. said it was unfortunate that the program had to be suspended when there were gains in terms of behavior change among drivers.</p><p>&quot;Naging conscious sila na meron ng &#x27;no physical contact apprehension&#x27;. So, nag-iingat na po sila dahil may CCTV cameras all over Metro Manila. Number 2, nakadagdag din ito bilang force multiplier sa ating mga traffic enforcer,&quot; he said. </p><p>(They became conscious of the no physical contact apprehension, so they took caution because there are CCTV cameras all over Metro Manila. Number 2, this served as force multiplier for our traffic enforcers.) </p><p>The MMDA, which was not named as party to the 2 petitions filed before the Supreme Court but was included in the halt order, acknowledged that local governments&#x27; policies and the NCAP regulations should be harmonized or integrated to avoid multiple violations. </p><p>This issue has been raised in the petitions questioning the constitutionality and legality of the program.</p><p>The MMDA will study its legal options before the oral arguments set by the SC in January next year.</p><div><strong>SYNCHRONIZED NCAP?</strong></div><p>Although temporarily suspended, the MMDA expressed its readiness to synchronize the implementation of NCAP across Metro Manila cities.</p><p>At the House Committee on Metro Manila Development hearing, Rep. Joel Chua asked the MMDA if it was coordinating with local government units that have their own NCAP to efficiently implement the program in the region.</p><p>MMDA Acting Chairman Engr. Carlo Dimayuga III said the agency was ready to synchronize the NCAP&#x27;s implementation.</p><p>&quot;Yes, &#x27;yung mga LGU kausap ko naman po sila. There is a technical working group, nag-uusap po kami about the policies and we are willing to cooperate,&quot; Dimayuga said.</p><p>(Yes, I&#x27;ve been in contact with the LGUs. There is a technical working group, we&#x27;re talking about the policies and we are willing to cooperate.)</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/31/22/mmda-to-boost-physical-apprehension-after-ncap-pause">MMDA to intensify physical apprehension after suspension of NCAP</a></li></ul><div><strong>— With reports from Doris Bigornia, Raffy Santos and Johnson Manabat, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2202627" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><br/> </div>

Metro Manila cities with no-contact apprehension programs in place say they have no choice but to suspend its implementation.