The Supreme Court of the Philippines (SC) has issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the implementation of the No-Contact Apprehension Program or NCAP.
According to the TRO issued today, August 30, 2022, “effective immediately and until further orders from the Court, enjoining all respondents from the implementation of the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) programs and ordinances related thereto. The Court also said that any apprehensions through the NCAP programs and ordinances related thereto shall be prohibited until further orders from the Court;”
And, “Issue a TRO, effective immediately and until further orders from the Court, enjoining the Land Transportation Office and all parties acting on its behalf from giving out motorist information to all local government units, cities, and municipalities enforcing NCAP programs.”
Oral arguments are also set for January of next year.
Earlier this month, a coalition of private and public transport groups called for the immediate junking of NCAP “until issues are fixed by LGUs”.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO), through Assistant Secretary, Teofilo Guadiz III, has also called for the immediate suspension of NCAP and has asked the mayors of the cities that implement it – Paranaque, Manila, Valenzuela, San Juan and Quezon City – for a dialog.
The mayors, as well as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), have stood together in solidarity and said that their respective NCAP programs will continue.
Lawyer Juman Paa, who filed a second petition for TRO vs the NCAP being implemented in Manila, has earlier said that most cities in Metro Manila that implement NCAP are operated by private contractors through profit-sharing agreements.
