Oral arguments on��‘no-contact’ policy moved to December

THE SUPREME Court (SC) has set Dec. 6 for the oral arguments on several petitions filed against the government’s use of video surveillance and digital cameras to catch traffic violators.����

In a statement on Thursday, the High Court also set Nov. 4 as the date for the preliminary conference.����

The oral arguments for the cases were initially scheduled for Jan. 24 next year.����

“The Supreme Court likewise ordered that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) be furnished a copy of the Petitions, and thereafter file its comment within 10 days from receipt of the notice,” said the tribunal.����

A copy of the court’s resolution has yet to be uploaded to the SC website.����

Last month, the tribunal issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) which stopped law enforcers from implementing the government’s so-called no-contact apprehension policy.��

Several transport groups earlier asked the High Court to void the policy, asserting that it is prone to abuse.����

A lawyer who was fined more than P20,000 for alleged traffic violations also filed a separate lawsuit on Aug. 18.����

The court said it issued the order “without necessarily giving due course to the petitions.”��

The TRO stopped the Land Transportation Office (LTO) from giving out motorists’ information to local government units.��

The policy was being enforced in the cities of Manila, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Quezon and Valenzuela as well as by the MMDA, which has jurisdiction across the capital region Metro Manila.��

Mayors of the cities using the no-contact system have said the policy had minimized human intervention in traffic enforcement. — John Victor D. Ordoñez