Five Metro Manila mayors have united in their stance to continue implementing the No-Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP) in their respective cities.
“We, the undersigned Local Chief Executives, have joined together on a common stance to continue the implementation of NCAP within our respective territorial jurisdictions and vow to continuously improve infrastructure and road conditions foreseeing the need for a safer environment for our constituents,” the mayors said in a joint statement released Wednesday, Aug. 18.
The joint statement was signed by Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Paranaque City Mayor Eric Olivarez, and San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora.
The mayors said their decision was strengthened by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.’s statement during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) when he emphasized that “the government should digitize and make its services more accessible for a more efficient governance.”
“This mandate involves the deployment, infusion, and effective use of technology in the delivery of government services and functions whether national or local,” they added.
The mayors also highlighted the importance of advancement of technology to achieve fast progress and development for the entire country.
They said President Marcos also urged the local government units (LGUs) “to get into more pro-active and beneficial Joint Ventures and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for initiatives that they do not have funds to support.”
“A good example of this initiative is the No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP) that involves the use of advanced traffic camera systems that are widely used in other countries, such as the US, Singapore, India, and Malaysia,” the mayors said.
They thanked the public for sharing their sentiments on social media, assuring they continue to strive to improve their cities' services. “Their opinions and suggestions are valuable inputs that would greatly improve our future endeavors,” the local chief executives said.
"As we move forward, the undersigned Local Chief Executives in the exercise of our powers as such in full consideration of the promotion of the general welfare of our respective constituents, shall continue to implement NCAP within our cities," they said.
The mayors said the implementation of NCAP in their respective cities helped in minimizing human intervention in traffic enforcement, thereby eliminating corruption; created a culture of discipline among motorists and the improvement of driving behavior; and ensured road safety and proven effective in reducing traffic violations and traffic-related accidents.
“The implementation of the NCAP never disregarded motorists' due process since each local government unit has its respective traffic adjudication boards where motorists can contest and file protests or appeals,” the mayors assured.
“The effective implementation of the NCAP, however, is not only about the use of Transportation Office whose office is instrumental in holding drivers and vehicle owners jointly responsible in maintaining order and safety in our roads.”
The chief executives urged all relevant government agencies to support them in pursuing and continuously innovating this internationally-proven program for effective traffic management.