No Contact Apprehension Policy

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) was the first government body to implement a No Contact Apprehension Policy in the Philippines. On November 7, 2002, the Metro Manila Council authorized the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in MMDA Resolution No. 02–49 to adopt plans to implement a "Non-Physical Contact Apprehension" policy in apprehending traffic violators in Metro Manila identified with the use of digital cameras. The resolution stresses that the policy would reduce instances of traffic extortion and bribery of enforcers, as well as to avoid traffic build-up from physically apprehending violators. In 2003, the implementing guidelines for the No Physical Contact Policy were laid out in MMDA Memorandum Circular No. 5, where MMDA enforcers would be issued digital cameras to take pictures of traffic violators which may be used as a basis for traffic violations and the fines thereof. On January 21, 2009, a new No Physical Contact Policy was prescribed by the MMDA for a 90-day trial period through MMDA Resolution No. 09-02. Additional trial runs were conducted after, with a six-month trial run was conducted through MMDA Resolution No. 09–07 on July 23, 2009 and another six-month trial run through MMDA Resolution No. 10–02 on January 21, 2010. The program was permanently reinstated as the No Physical Contact Apprehension policy (also known as the No Contact Apprehension Program) as it is known today on February 16, 2016, through MMDA Resolution No. 16-01, which implements the policy along major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, particularly along EDSA and Circumferential Road 5 with the added use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) traffic cameras. The MMDA NCAP covers various major roads in Metro Manila, such as EDSA, Circumferential Road 5 including Katipunan Avenue, Marcos Highway, Roxas Boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Avenue, West Avenue, E. Rodriguez Avenue, and Buendia Avenue, among others. This was followed a year later by Valenzuela, which launched its No Contact Apprehension Program in September 2019. In December 2020, the Manila City Council enacted Manila City Ordinance No. 8676, allowing the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) to issue traffic tickets to motorists caught violating traffic laws on traffic enforcement cameras without the physical apprehension of an on-site traffic enforcer. This was followed by the province of Bataan in November 2021, which launched its own No Contact Apprehension Program along its main thoroughfare, the Roman Superhighway. In October 2021, the Muntinlupa City Council passed Muntinlupa City Ordinance 2021–280, enacting a No Contact Apprehension Program in the city. However, as of 2022, the ordinance has not yet been implemented. Following a dry run from October 2021 to June 2022, Quezon City announced the full implementation of its No Contact Apprehension Program on July 1, 2022, along 15 major roads in the city. The city of San Juan also plans to implement a Non-Contact Apprehension Program within the city starting August 2022. == Suspensions ==

In June 2008, the Court of Appeals upheld a decision to declare the No Physical Contact Policy implemented by the MMDA in 2003 as void, upholding an earlier Makati court decision that deemed it "contrary to the constitutional right to due process". On August 30, 2022, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order ordering the suspension of the No Contact Apprehension Policy of the MMDA and the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa. The temporary restraining order also bars the LTO from providing motorist information to any other local governments implementing their own No Contact Apprehension Policy. While all five mentioned local governments and the MMDA have agreed to comply with the temporary restraining order, they have reiterated that the implementation of the NCAP has benefited their constituencies. Oral arguments for the petitions against the NCAP have been scheduled on January 23, 2023. == Criticism ==

The most recent iteration of the No Contact Apprehension Policy has been criticized by private vehicle owners, as well as drivers and operators of public transport vehicles, for having to pay for fines for alleged traffic violations without their immediate knowledge. Some of these complaints were also in relation to those who had received violations on vehicles that they no longer owned or had transferred ownership of. As a result, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has appealed to the local government units to temporarily suspend the NCAP for review. In May 2025, the MMDA filed an urgent motion before the Supreme Court through the Office of the Solicitor General, seeking the lift the temporary restraining order on NCAP. The MMDA stated that the policy is necessary to better manage traffic flow and curb traffic violations during the upcoming major rehabilitation of EDSA. The Supreme Court granted their request on May 20, 2025, partially lifting the suspension of the MMDA NCAP. Following the temporary restraining order, Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte argues that the NCAP is "legal and proper", believing that "it instills a culture of traffic discipline among motorists". Belmonte also stated that traffic violations have significantly decreased by 93 percent in areas where the city had implemented the policy. Abante also says that the implementation of the NCAP in Manila and other cities is backed by the excision of governing powers of local government units provided by Section 16 of the Local Government Code. She however, admits that based on the petitions filed before the Supreme Court, there are shortcomings on the implementation of the NCAP which should be carefully studied and addressed. == See also ==