The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) clarified on Wednesday that all traffic violations flagged under the No Contact Apprehension Policy (NCAP) are subject to manual review by agency personnel before tickets are issued.
MMDA Chairperson Romando Artes explained in a radio interview that while some EDSA cameras use AI to detect violations, each flagged incident undergoes careful review by staff—many of whom are deaf-mutes employed specifically for this task.
Not all cameras use AI, Artes noted, and those that do are still backed by human review to confirm violations. For instance, cases where emergency vehicles like ambulances use bus lanes, or motorists change lanes due to road hazards, are often dismissed upon review.
Artes emphasized that the NCAP aims to encourage road discipline, not generate revenue. On the first day of NCAP’s resumption this week, 1,112 violations were recorded—down significantly from over 3,000 on the same date last year.
The Supreme Court recently allowed the MMDA to resume implementing NCAP after lifting parts of a 2022 temporary restraining order. The policy, which captures violations via cameras instead of on-ground traffic enforcers, had faced legal challenges from transport groups arguing it was unconstitutional, particularly due to its impact on vehicle owners.