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Wisdom > Spoiler

What makes MMDA’s ‘May Huli Ka’ online app so popular?

It may not be for reasons that commend the agency

MMDA chief Don Artes welcomed back a new version of NCAP violation verification. PHOTO FROM MMDA

Yesterday was a big day for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. So “big” the whole of NCR just had to read and share it. No, the agency did not introduce a mind-blowing traffic solution. Actually, it was basically…nothing.

That’s if the MMDA is implementing the program properly and reliably.

Of course, you know what I’m talking about. The MMDA “launched” the new version of the May Huli Ka website (or online app).

From the agency:

The MMDA launched today a new website that allows vehicle owners to check their traffic violations under the No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP).

MMDA chairman Atty. Don Artes said the “May Huli Ka 2.0” is a web-based platform that enables vehicle owners to conveniently check for traffic violations by entering their plate or conduction sticker number and their motor vehicle (MV) file number.

We bet you’ve checked your vehicle details on this online app. SCREENSHOT FROM MMDA

Surely, you recall the original (and witty) May Huli Ba? website from 2016.

Those were the days. SCREENSHOT FROM MAY HULI BA?

The reason there’s a “Version 2.0” is because “Version 1.0” had flaws and loopholes. Enough flaws to make motorists come up with creative ideas to dodge this whole NCAP thing. Whether handled by the MMDA or by the individual local government units, the contactless traffic scheme was obviously half-baked.

Remember the Honda Brio that was “misidentified” by Valenzuela City as sporting a plate number belonging to a Pampanga-based Toyota Wigo? Stories like this were rampant in 2022. And they were causing the MMDA and the LGUs so much embarrassment that the only recourse was to temporarily shelve NCAP.

Whether you like it or not, our past experience with the program compels us to be extremely guarded

And this is what makes the May Huli Ka online app so unavoidable. Whether you like it or not, our past experience with the program compels us to be extremely guarded.

What if a simple, harmless maneuver gets counted as an offense?

Are the CCTV cameras high-resolution enough to read alphanumeric figures even in the dark?

Are human staffers tasked to monitor the CCTV cameras formally trained?

One could say that this is being much ado about nothing. But—especially in this country—incompetence always results in inconvenience, which then translates into costly time lost. People have been asking for an independent appeals court with which wrongly penalized drivers could file protests. Does anyone even relish this prospect?

Have you seen what a violation notification looks like? SCREENSHOT FROM MMDA

In truth, if the transfer of information in government is half as reliable as the salacious anecdotes of our favorite neighborhood rumormonger, no one would even be paying attention to an online app whose supposed purpose is to verify traffic penalties. Truth—something we are not willing to associate with our government—should be automatic.

Alas, May Huli Ka needed to be announced and celebrated. I mean, just the validation that you get for not having a single violation is apparently cause for revelry:

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE NO VIOLATIONS RECORDED.

It’s as though NCAP is a misfortune that needs to be eluded. But if you’re a responsible driver—if you know 100% that you haven’t done anything wrong—why even be obsessed with the May Huli Ka website to begin with? It’s like worrying about having liver cancer when you don’t even drink.

The answer is that many of us can’t trust our authorities to get it right. Assuring us that the camera equipment has world-class provenance (and as high-resolution as this one) and is not some cheap hardware procured by embezzlers, is a good way to start.

I dream of a May Huli Ka version—3.0 or even 10.0—that we no longer need to talk about. One that will simply inform us that we have a traffic offense and that we have to settle it. No more debate as to whether the system can be trusted. Everything will just be automatic.

Just as what contactless traffic management needs to be: accurate, transparent, credible.



Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist since July 1995. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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