MMDA turns to spy cameras anew to catch traffic violators

MANILA, Philippines - In a bid to eradicate corruption among its traffic enforcers, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will re-implement for six months its No Physical Contact Policy (NPCP), which uses surveillance cameras to record traffic violations as they happen.

MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said the NPCP resolution was approved by the Metro Manila Council, whose members were convinced that the policy was more practical than manual ticketing, which is more vulnerable to corruption.

“The NPCP is a modern system of traffic violation because this does not involve chasing the violators or the vehicle. Moreover, corruption is prevented because this scheme avoids the personal interaction of an erring driver and traffic enforcer,” he said.

Last January, the MMC approved the initial 90-day experimental run of the NPCP, a revised version of the old Non-Contact Traffic Apprehension Program (NCTAP) that employs the use of digital and closed-circuit television cameras in recording the violations committed by motorists.

MMDA’s traffic operations center (TOC) has recorded a total of 53,888 violations under the NPCP, or an average of 898 traffic tickets issued per day from Feb. 17 to May 17 this year.

Fernando said the NPCP apprehensions represent 23 percent of 234,385 traffic citations made during the same period.

He said of the 53,888 NPCP apprehensions, 30,592 were committed by drivers of public utility vehicles (PUVs) and 23,296 by private motorists.

The MMDA gave the operators of 5,501 PUVs notices of traffic violations, while “the rest of the apprehensions were coursed through the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for verification as to names of the respective vehicle owners.”

TOC executive director Angelito Vergel de Dios said the MMDA has collected P858,710 in traffic fines as 2,985 of the 5,501 notices of traffic violations were settled immediately.

MMDA Resolution 09-02 authorized the implementation of the NPCP, wherein erring motorists are sent notices of traffic violations, which include the image of the vehicle committing the offense.

If violators do not pay the fine or appeal the notice within seven days, the MMDA will forward the matter to the LTO.

The MMDA said the LTO will not renew the driver’s license of erring motorists who refuse to pay traffic violation fines. – Jose Rodel Clapano