MMDA asks SC to allow NCAP for EDSA rehab

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to reinstate its version of the contentious no-contact apprehension policy (NCAP) with the goal of easing heavy vehicular traffic as EDSA is set to be rehabilitated.

The MMDA, through the Office of the Solicitor General, has filed an “urgent motion” to lift the temporary restraining order (TRO) imposed by the high tribunal on its version on the NCAP.

MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said on the sidelines of an event in Pateros on May 16 that the arguments raised during oral deliberations on the NCAP have been addressed by the agency’s revised guidelines.

NCAP opponents say it is mainly a fund-raising scheme imposed arbitrarily in an environment that lacks proper traffic management infrastructure, with traffic rules illegally enforced by a private service provider. NCAP violators were slapped fines amounting to thousands of pesos, with protests difficult to settle.

If the SC rejects the MMDA’s request, Artes said the agency could enforce the NCAP on buses traversing EDSA, since they are regulated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. 

The MMDA, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways are set to meet on May 19 to finalize the plans for the EDSA rehabilitation, according to Artes.

There would be adjustments in the outer portion of EDSA. The rehabilitation has yet to start and could last for up to 18 months, with the EDSA Bus Carousel lane being the first to be fixed. 

The SC issued a TRO on the NCAP in August 2022, following a petition by a motorist from the city of Manila.

Aside from the NCAP in Manila, the TRO also covered the NCAP enforced in Caloocan, Parañaque, San Juan, Valenzuela and Quezon City.