THE Land Transportation Office (LTO) has asked local government units (LGUs) to temporarily suspend the implementation of No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP).
LTO Chief Teofilo Guadiz III said the suspension of NCAP will give way to the conduct of a thorough review of the traffic policy.
This is amid the criticisms and complaints aired by motorists especially on social media on the implementation of the NCAP.
Among the concerns raised by motorists are the alleged areas with obstructions or confusing road signs which forces drivers to commit violations based on the NCAP guideline.
Guadiz asked LGUs to sit down with the LTO to iron out guidelines, including the complaints of operators of public utility vehicles who are compelled under the policy guidelines to pay the fines for traffic violations committed by their drivers.
“Sa ilalim ng batas, ang nagbabayad ng multa ay ang registered owner ng sasakyan, on the presumption na ang rehistradong may-ari ng sasakyan ang nagmamaneho and by command responsibility, ‘yung may-ari ng sasakyan talaga ang dapat na magbayad kung may violation,” Guadiz said.
The LTO chief added that such part of the guidelines must be reviewed to ensure that the driver who committed the violation will be the one to pay the fine.
He also raised concerns on instances when a vehicle in violation is already sold to another individual, and the transfer of ownership is not yet registered with the LTO.
"There are instances po na 'yung sasakyan ay nailipat na sa ibang pangalan pero dahil hindi ito nailagda sa LTO, ang sinisingil pa po nila ay 'yung dating may-ari ng sasakyan. We would like to revisit this po," Guadiz said.
Guadiz clarified that LTO’s role in the NCAP implementation is send an alarm about the vehicle in violation based on the registered owner in their system.
He said it is the Metro Manila Development Authority and concerned LGUs who draft the guidelines of and implement the NCAP.
“Ito po ay proyekto ng mga LGU. Ang part lang ng LTO ay kami ang naglalabas ng alarma sa mga sasakyang may paglabag" the LTO chief added.
Guadiz said he believes that the objective of the NCAP is noble but it should first be fine-tuned for a stronger and more effective implementation in order to contribute to a smoother flow of traffic.