No lifting NCAP despite delay in Edsa rehab
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will not suspend the enforcement of the No Contact apprehension policy (NCAP) despite the President’s decision to postpone the start of the Edsa rehabilitation project.
“I think NCAP will stay because NCAP is not just about Edsa. It’s about a more efficient way of enforcing our traffic rules,” Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon told a press conference on Monday.
For MMDA head of special operations Gabriel Go, there was no reason to stop enforcing NCAP, especially if it was doing its purpose of instilling discipline in motorists.
“Traffic rules should be followed by everyone. And it is the Supreme Court that ordered us to reimplement it so we are complying with the ruling,” Go said.
“NCAP is not just about traffic rules and regulations. It is also about the safety [of] and [maintaining] order [among] our road users, be it motorists or pedestrians,” he added.
According to the MMDA, verified NCAP violations have been decreasing since the policy was re-implemented on May 26, six days after the Supreme Court partially lifted a ban that it imposed in 2022.
On the first week of the policy’s effectivity from May 26 to June 1, a total of 5,436 motorists were apprehended for traffic violations.
Fewer violators
A total of 1,112 violators were caught on the first day of enforcement, but the figure went down to 489 on May 31, before rising to 565 on June 1.
The figures, however, were an improvement from the over 3,000 average daily violations caught on closed-circuit television cameras that went unapprehended on May 19, when the NCAP ban was still in effect.
On the other hand, at least 50 motorcycle drivers who were caught tampering with or concealing their license plates to avoid being apprehended through NCAP will be issued show-cause orders by the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
This was after the MMDA submitted to the LTO evidence against the 50 drivers as LTO chief Vigor Mendoza II warned that more motorists could be in danger of losing their driving licenses over these illegal practices.
LTO Executive Director Greg Pua said that Republic Act No. 11235, or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act, penalizes the tampering of license plates.
Dizon, meanwhile, said the DOTr has a month to rethink the implementation of the P8.7-billion Edsa Rebuild project as President Marcos wants to shorten the two-year construction period.
According to him, Mr. Marcos instructed them to “go back to the drawing board” and come up with a “better” plan in a month’s time.”
The project, which was supposed to start on June 13, is targeted for completion in 2027.
But Mr. Marcos said this should be cut down to just six months using “new technology” to avoid prolonged inconvenience for motorists and commuters, Dizon said.
“This shows that the President’s resolve is not only rebuilding Edsa but in making sure that the inconvenience to the motoring public and to commuters is minimized using the most advanced technology,” he added.
The rehabilitation project includes the replacement of nearly the entire stretch of the 24-kilometer-long major thoroughfare to ease traffic congestion and ensure motorist safety.
It will also involve concrete reblocking and the laying of new asphalt on damaged portions, road widening, sidewalk improvements and drainage upgrades, among others.
Senate President Francis Escudero agreed with the President’s move to postpone the project, saying it was evident there was lack of planning and preparation on the part of the Department of Public Works and Highway.
“For me, it was only right to postpone it because the DPWH seems to lack planning here. And two or three years is too long to do that,” he said during a press briefing.
