The government’s “No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP)” will help solve the problems that perennially hound commuters in Metro Manila, a survey commissioned by the thinktank Stratbase-ADRI said.
Stratbase-ADRI chief executive officer Dindo Manhit bared the results of a recent Pulse Asia survey showing that 8 out of 10 Filipinos are in favor of NCAP.
In the survey, majority of Filipinos agree that “NCAP will be effective in achieving its objective of disciplining motorists to improve road safety.”
According to Manhit, the NCAP policy will promote a culture of discipline as drivers are reminded and encouraged to follow existing traffic rules—knowing that improved surveillance systems are in place. Manhit said that this effect can be seen on roads in Subic where stop-and-go policy is strictly implemented, and on parts of Skyway 3 where 60kph speed limit is enforced.
“Motorists know that these roads are monitored, and they willfully abide knowing the consequences of violating the rules,” Manhit said.
The executive added that NCAP will also help eradicate corruption and bribery in the streets.
“Since the NCAP remotely monitors traffic violations without the need for physical apprehension by traffic enforcers, it thereby reduces the occurrence of ‘kotong operations’ in the streets,” Manhit said.
According to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the NCAP was first introduced in 2009 and was only reimplemented during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration in 2016. Several LGUs slowly started enforcing NCAP, and some Mayors insisted on its benefits in their respective cities and municipalities.
Shortly before the Supreme Court issued a TRO against NCAP due to two legal challenges on the no contact policy, five Metro Manila Mayors issued a joint statement last Aug.17, 2021 saying NCAP enforcement has resulted in several positive things such as the “minimization of human intervention in traffic enforcement, thereby eliminating corruption, creation of a culture of discipline among motorists and the improvement of driving behavior; and ensuring road safety which is proven effective in reducing traffic violations and traffic-related accidents.”
Manhit noted that the flow of traffic will be smoother with the implementation of NCAP. “The no contact policy decreases obstructions in traffic flow as there is no need to apprehend or stop vehicles along the road,” he explained