Mayors oppose LTO proposal to suspend ‘no contact apprehension policy’

National Capital Region Mayors on Tuesday opposed the Land Transportation Office (LTO) proposal to suspend the implementation of the no contact apprehension policy (NCAP).

According to Joseph Morong’s report on “24 Oras”, QC Mayor Joy Belmonte said they implemented NCAP only in July though they had a test run in 2021 to look into problems that could occur.

“I would like to know, given that I believe that we have addressed the comments and suggestions already, what is the basis of the LTO… if yung basis nila [if their basis] is something that we overlooked,” Belmonte said.

“Hindi ‘yan sapat na justification for suspending NCAP [that is not enough justification for suspending NCAP]," she added, referring to motorists who were apprehended as they were confused with traffic lights that did not have countdown timers.

“However, I would like to stress na itong kasing NCAP natin, may adjudication board naman [our NCAP has an adjudication board],” Belmote said.

The city government imposes an average fine of P2,000 per traffic violation.

“Bukas naman kami sa penalties kung babaguhin yun, kaya lang, [we are open if the penalties will be changed, however] I think there are other cities that also have the NCAP. It would help if pare-parehas yung aming desisyon tungkol dito [it would help if our decision about this was the same],” Belmonte said.

Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian said they started implementing NCAP in 2019 and since then over 200,000 traffic violators were apprehended.

Gatchalian added that their penalties ranged from P2,000 to P3,000, depending on the number of violations.

“Yung kotong lalabas diyan. Number 2, sino ang may mali turuan… minsan kawawa rin yung traffic enforcer namin dito, abused na rin verbally, emotionally, physically… May ebidensya, ginawa mo ito, bayaran mo. Kung hindi naman, mayroon naman kaming adjudication committee,” he said.

(We've gotten rid of bribery. Number 2, whoever makes a mistake teach them the right way. Sometimes our traffic enforcers here are abused verbally, emotionally, physically. There is evidence, you did it, pay for it. Otherwise, we have an adjudication committee.)

The Mayor, however, admitted that implementing NCAP in the city was challenging.

“Medyo challenging kaunti yung bike lane kasi number 1, makitid yung kalsada namin. Talaga namang kalahati ng kotse o minsan yung kotse nakapatong doon sa linya, napi-picturan agad,” Gatchalian added.

(Having bike lanes is a bit challenging because number 1, our roads are narrow. It does happen, half of the car or sometimes the car crosses the line into the bike lane. It immediately gets photographed.)

Meanwhile, the commuter group Passenger Forum also opposed the suspension of NCAP.

PF Convenor Primo Morillo said traffic violations were reduced by 80% in Bataan and 30% in Quezon City because of NCAP.

“Gusto natin may certainty of apprehension. Ibig sabihin nahuhuli ang mga lumalabag. Tapos kung kelan papalabasin natin ang mga kabataan, saka natin tatanggalin [ang NCAP]?... kahit papaano naging safe ang ating mga kalsada,” Morillo said.

(We want the certainty of apprehension. That means violators are caught. We will now allow the kids to go back to school, and that's when we are going to remove NCAP? In some ways our roads have become safer.)

Earlier in the day, the LTO called on local government units to suspend and review their NCAP.

LTO chief and Transportation Assistant Secretary Teofilo Guadiz III said operators of public utility vehicles have been complaining about paying fines for the traffic violations of their drivers.

Guadiz said the law provides that registered owners of a vehicle shall pay for the traffic violations committed using their vehicles based on command responsibility and on the presumption that they are also the drivers.

The LTO chief advised LGUs, which drafted the guidelines for the policy, to coordinate with the agency and iron out the guidelines for the traffic policy.

Currently, Quezon City, Valenzuela, and Manila are implementing NCAP. — Mel Matthew Doctor/DVM, GMA News