A lawyers’ group said it will seek a meeting with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to help disseminate information on the agency’s newly adopted No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) after the Supreme Court dismissed petitions questioning the policy’s legality.

Lawyer Juman B. Paa, one of the petitioners, said he and his group, Knowledge Advocate of Volunteer Lawyers and Paralegals, will make the request following the SC's dismissal of consolidated petitions challenging the NCAP, which the MMDA adopted in 2016 and revised in 2018.

In a decision written by Associate Justice Rodil V. Zalameda, the SC said the NCAP had become moot with the adoption of a new and uniform traffic enforcement framework under the Metro Manila Traffic Code (MMTC) of 2023.

Aside from mootness, the SC said the petitions were dismissed for lack of standing, violation of the doctrines of exhaustion of administrative remedies and hierarchy of courts, and forum shopping by the petitioners.

Dismissed were the first petition filed by the Kilusan sa Pagbabago ng Industriya ng Transportasyon, Inc. (KAPIT), Pangkalahatang Saggunian Manila and Suburbs Drivers Association Nationwide (Pasang Masda), Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (ALTODAP), and Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization (ACTO), and the second petition filed by Paa.

In his petition, Paa argued that NCAP is unconstitutional because it violates the right to privacy, as anyone can access traffic violation records on the city’s website by merely typing a vehicle’s plate number.

In May 2025, the SC partially lifted its Aug. 30, 2022 temporary restraining order (TRO), allowing the MMDA to enforce its resolution on NCAP for traffic violations.

Related story: https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/09/mootness-prompts-sc-to-dismiss-petitions-vs-no-contact-apprehension-for-traffic-violations-in-metro-manila

“I respect and submit to the Decision of the Supreme Court regarding NCAP. The filing of the petition was never in vain. It gave voice to the legitimate grievances and sentiments of motorists,” Paa said in a statement.

Despite the lifting of the TRO, Paa said he still believes that the NCAP of local government units (LGUs) should be revisited and amended to address the valid and pressing concerns raised in the petitions filed before the SC.

He said the changes would help ensure a fair and reasonable traffic management and enforcement system that is transparent and accountable to the public.

Paa said LGUs should defer the reimplementation of the questioned NCAP until additional safeguards are put in place to prevent abuse and misuse.

“In furtherance of my advocacy for the rights of motorists and my moral obligation as a law practitioner, my group, KNOWLEDGE ADVOCATE OF VOLUNTEER LAWYERS AND PARALEGALS, will seek an audience with the MMDA to extend our assistance in disseminating information about the new NCAP policy being implemented by the said agency, including how to contest a notice of violation before the proper adjudication board,” the lawyer said.

He also urged the national government and the LGUs to improve traffic safety by enhancing markings and signage and stoplights with a timer to better aid motorists on the road.

In his statement, Paa also offered the following suggestions:

●Creation of state-owned NCAP under LTO or under DOTR that owns camera, software, data, and to achieve it better to have built-and-transfer or straight procurement with fixed fee maintenance contract.

●The LTO should be the lone agency in charge of processing the personal information of motorists, as limiting the access to its database will prevent abuse, leakage, unlawful utilization of data and hacking.

●Uniformity of the violations and reconsideration of excessive fines imposed consistent with the study and data.