Two senators raise concerns about the newly reimplemented no-contact apprehension policy. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Both Senate President Francis Escudero and Senator Grace Poe have urged the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to ensure that concerns with the no contact apprehension policy (NCAP) are addressed first 鈥� including the issue of possibly tedious grievance system.
Escudero and Poe, in separate statements on Monday, noted that a lot of motorists have raised concerns after the Supreme Court (SC) lifted the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the NCAP. They said there are issues that they feel must be addressed to ensure fairness in implementing the system.
According to Escudero, the evidence presented to back up a traffic citation must be clear, and traffic rules and signages must be visible enough for motorists.
READ: No-contact apprehension takes effect along major roads after SC lifts TRO
鈥淓vidence should be clear and as much as possible, indisputable. Enforcement of traffic rules and regulations should be consistent. It must be applied to all, no exceptions. This is how programs such as the NCAP will be justified and later on, accepted by all,鈥� he said.
鈥淧enalizing motorists based on unclear, confusing, blurred traffic signs would give rise to suspicion that the program is really about monetizing the mistakes of drivers. Government should not profit from penalties caused by vague traffic directions.聽 This is primarily about raising the level of road discipline and not raising revenues,鈥� he added.
Another issue, Escudero said, was the slow delivery of notice of violations (NOVs) which would also delay a motorist鈥檚 appeal of any infraction.
鈥淚t appears that the entire process is long and that NOVs are still sent through snail mail.聽 There is a chance that when the NOV is delivered, the motorist can no longer remember the specific violation.聽 What should be done is that the delivery should take just a few days 鈥� the faster, the better,鈥� he said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, Poe said that they understand that the MMDA only wants a more effective implementation of traffic rules.聽 However, she said efficiency will get a boost if local authorities follow the lead of other advanced countries where available technology is used.
This, Poe said, will also deter abuse from the side of traffic enforcers.
鈥淲e understand the MMDA鈥檚 goal of making traffic law implementation more effective with the use of NCAP [鈥 It would be better for us to use technology so that we can avoid motorists bribing enforcers, so that there would be order on our streets,鈥� she said in Filipino.
鈥淲e just need to ensure that the system is functional. We need high-resolution cameras with automated number plate recognition, clear evidence collection with timestamps and GPS coordinates, and 99.5% system uptime standards 鈥� similar to what Singapore uses in their Electronic Road Pricing system,鈥� she added.
Poe also backs the use of a faster system in delivering NOVs, and a clear appeals system so that motorists can contest questionable citations for traffic infractions.
鈥淭here should also be a dedicated independent review board within the MMDA with qualified traffic commissioners. For the violators, they should be given electronic notice via their registered SMS number, a review period, and an online dispute portal that is user-friendly and easy to navigate. Drivers should know how and where to make appeals,鈥� she noted.
鈥淭raffic regulations should also not be changed without the knowledge of our fellow Filipinos.聽 If a no u-turn or a one-way street policy was changed, there should be a 15-day advance notice period before NCAP starts in the area [鈥 There are issues that we have to focus on to improve the policy.聽 We will expect MMDA鈥檚 enthusiastic enforcement of NCAP under better guidelines,鈥� she added.
Last Tuesday, the SC announced that it has partially lifted the TRO it issued against the聽NCAP, with restraining orders for local government unit ordinances on聽NCAP聽remaining.
With the lifting of the restraining order, the聽NCAP聽system will resume over areas it covered before, like the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, C-5 Road, Katipunan Avenue, Marcos Highway, Roxas Boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, West Avenue, E. Rodriguez Avenue, and Buendia Avenue, starting Monday.
MMDA assured that they will be fair in monitoring traffic violations, noting that the NCAP will not yet be enforced in some parts where traffic and road signs have not been fixed.
READ: MMDA vows fairness in 鈥楴o-contact鈥� policy
Some of the areas where NCAP will not be implemented include portions of Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City which is still under rehabilitation.
鈥淲e will not implement NCAP in areas where there are problems on pavement markings and traffic signages just to be fair [to our motorists],鈥� MMDA traffic discipline office director for enforcement Victor Nu帽ez said in a radio interview on Sunday./mr