MMDA nullifies most ‘no contact’ tickets
More than half of the thousands of traffic tickets issued through the no contact apprehension policy (NCAP) of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) were invalidated, with many of them deemed “small” infractions.
From May 26—when the NCAP was reimplemented—to June 4, a total of 8,586 motorists were caught by closed-circuit television cameras powered by artificial intelligence for breaking traffic laws, according to MMDA Chair Don Artes.
But out of these, only 4,100 were confirmed to be violations after they were automatically reviewed by the agency’s personnel.
“During our manual review, we employ the brains and hearts of human personnel,” Artes said during a forum with drivers of Grab and Move It ride-hailing and delivery companies on Saturday. “What does this mean? Each of the NCAP apprehensions are reviewed by our people, because they might be just minor violations.”
These minor breaches of traffic rules include straying out of a motorcycle lane for a few seconds, or breaking through the yellow boxes at intersections even just a few inches.
“If these are reasonable enough and does not mean an abuse, we invalidate these NCAP apprehensions,” Artes said.
The MMDA also denied the NCAP was a “money-making scheme” for the agency.
“Our NCAP systems are in place as early as 2003. That’s our own system, without a third-party provider that needs to earn profits to get their return of investment,” Artes said.
“We do not need to earn money because the MMDA is funded by taxpayers; what we need is for the public to have discipline on the roads. We will be happier if there are fewer apprehensions because that means many motorists are following traffic laws,” he said.
Against the system
The Stop NCAP Coalition, a broad alliance of transport groups, are calling for the suspension of NCAP, saying the transport sector was not consulted first before it was enforced again starting on May 26.
They said the government also first needs to fix the road infrastructure in Metro Manila, especially road markings and traffic signage, before fully implementing NCAP.
The coalition also alleged that NCAP—which they branded as Nasa Camera Ang Pera—would be a “gatasan” (cash cow) of the MMDA by preying on hundreds of thousands of motorists, similar to how local governments implemented it before the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order in 2022.
The Supreme Court on May 20 partially lifted the TRO against NCAP, allowing only the MMDA—and not the local governments—to reimplement the program.
The MMDA fully enforced the policy on May 26, explaining it did not need a dry-run, since all the camera systems, technology and personnel to implement NCAP were already in place and running despite the TRO, with the agency deferring only the sending of notice of violations.
For its part, the MMDA said NCAP would not be enforced on these problematic roads. The agency also assured all NCAP apprehensions are reviewed manually by their personnel to ensure fairness especially on roads in Metro Manila with defective or absent road markings and traffic signage.
The violation may be contested before the MMDA Traffic Adjudication Division (TAD) online at bit.ly/3J62YhH within 10 days upon the receipt of the Notices of Violation (NOVs). Drivers may also raise their issues with the MMDA traffic adjudication committee or ask for copies of CCTV footage if they are dissatisfied with how the agency decided their case.
Artes said the MMDA is also collaborating with telecommunications companies to implement SMS notifications, ensuring motorists receive timely alerts about their violations.
Under the current system, NOVs are delivered via postal mail, typically reaching recipients within five to seven days.
The MMDA is also working to relaunch the “May Huli Ba?” app in which motorists can verify their NCAP violations to be compliant with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology said motorists will soon be able to check their traffic violations, including those under the NCAP, and pay fines through the eGovPH app.
