Mayor Isko Moreno
Looking back on the year that was, it can be surmised that if there is anything good that the pandemic was able to do, it was to bring out the best in all of us and I can particulary say so in the case of the city officials, employees, and residents of Manila.
In the case of my beloved Manilans, they were and still are able to prove that they can follow rules to the letter and make the necessary sacrifices, if doing so would benefit the country as a whole. This came to the fore in the case of lockdowns and following mandated health protocols and they do make me proud.
Mayor Isko Moreno
Early last week, we in the city government of Manila launched the “no contact apprehension” program (NCAP) in an effort to do away with the hassles that usually attend apprehensions made by our traffic enforcers.
As we all know, arguments, accidents as well as accusations and counter-accusations that sometimes lead to fisticuffs arise from face-to-face apprehensions between traffic enforcers particularly of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) and motorists. The new scheme will limit all that, specially human interaction so that it is even an added measure against COVID transmission.
With the NCAP in place, it means that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, there will be ‘enforcers’ monitoring traffic violations. Only this time, the monitoring would be via technology using cameras.
(Photo from Manila PIO)
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso signed City Ordinance No. 8699, authorizing the granting of amnesty for traffic violations and surcharges of all constituents of Manila and others whose licenses are confiscated by the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) or any commissioned officer authorized by the City of Manila.
“Upang tulungan po ang ating mga motorista, lalo ngayon mayroon po tayong kinakaharap na pandemya, narito po ang kaunting tulong mula sa Pamahalaang Lungsod sa pamamagitan ng pag-waive sa mga penalties at surcharges sa mga violations (To help our motorists, especially now that we are facing a pandemic, here is a little help from the city government in the form of waiving penalties and surcharges for violations),” he said in a Facebook post Wednesday night.