MMDA welcomes congressional inquiry into 'no contact apprehension policy'

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday said that it would welcome any congressional inquiry into issues surrounding the implementation of the no contact apprehension policy (NCAP).

In a statement, MMDA also said it respects the autonomy of all local government units (LGUs) in crafting and implementing their own traffic regulations.

“From what we heard, LTO’s (Land Transportation Office) call for LGUs to suspend their respective NCAP is their reaction to the call of some transport groups and operators on the issue,” it said.

“The Authority welcomes the call for legislative investigation on its NCAP which have been in place since 2016 and will definitely cooperate with other branches of government and agencies to ensure a more efficient and orderly implementation of the said policy,” it added.

On Tuesday, LTO called on LGUs 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 Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP) on Sunday appealed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and its sectoral offices to allow them to transfer the ownership of the units they no longer own amid the implementation of the NCAP.

FEJODAP president Ricardo "Boy" Rebaño said that the DOTr, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), and the LTO should consider the reopening of the transfer of ownership of public utility vehicles to the new operators so they will be the ones held accountable for any traffic violations.

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.

However, National Capital Region mayors opposed the suspension of NCAP.

Currently, Quezon City, Valenzuela, and Manila are implementing NCAP. —KG, GMA News