EDITORIAL — Return to NCAP

The no-contact apprehension policy was stopped by the Supreme Court amid a flood of complaints from motorists about the abuse of the system.

NCAP trial runs were started by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority between 2009 and 2010 along EDSA and several major thoroughfares. It was finally rolled out in February 2016, with minimal complaints from motorists.

Problems started when several local government units began their own NCAP versions, outside the MMDA. Complaints from motorists spiked particularly after LGUs began outsourcing the traffic apprehension scheme to private firm QPax, which got the largest share of the fines collected.

Under QPax, NCAP turned into an abusive fund-raising scheme, with financial profit the main objective rather than traffic management and promotion of responsible driving.

Countdown timers were removed from traffic lights, turning wide intersections into NCAP traps. Traffic lights were installed even on minor intersections where traffic flow is always light. Motorists were fined for the flimsiest reasons, such as rolling to a stop a few inches inside road traffic box junctions.

As supposed violators were arbitrarily slapped with exorbitant fines that ran into thousands of pesos, questions were raised on the legality of outsourcing traffic enforcement to a private company.

A Makati court voided the 2003 NCAP of the MMDA; this was upheld by the Court of Appeals in 2008.

In August 2022, amid the explosion of public complaints, the SC suspended the NCAP implementation in Metro Manila. The restraining order was lifted last year for the MMDA, which resumed its version of NCAP in May 2025.

In July this year, the SC also lifted its restraining order on the NCAP of Metro Manila LGUs, saying the issue had been rendered moot following the adoption of the unified traffic management system in Metro Manila.

The local governments of Manila, Quezon City, Valenzuela, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and San Juan have since announced the resumption of NCAP by Oct. 5. San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora, who chairs the Metro Manila Council, wants NCAP to be implemented metro-wide.

San Juan’s NCAP is operated by QPax. A private firm should not be involved in the enforcement of traffic rules. Several motorists who complained of exorbitant fines before NCAP was suspended by the SC had in fact said they wanted a refund from QPax and the LGUs that employed the firm.

There are many undisciplined drivers and traffic management can use improvement in Metro Manila. But motorists have suffered from the gross abuse of NCAP. Its resumption should not mean a return of those abuses.