• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod City government is eyeing a centralized command center to ensure that all first responders are linked, for immediate coordination and response, and to better safeguard residents.
Mayor Alfredo Benitez said Sept. 9 that the building, worth P60 million, is now being constructed in Barangay Taculing, while the center’s operation will be under a Public Private Partnership (PPP), with projected cost of P2.2 billion, subject to Swiss challenge, over a 10-year period.
“We want Bacolod to be a safe place,” Benitez said, adding the command center aims to extend monitoring activities through CCTVs and AI (artificial intelligence) technology, among others.
The center will connect the police, fire fighters, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, and other rescue units for a centralized operation.
This will be one of the most modern command centers in the country, the mayor stressed, adding there is need for a system that can immediately alert rescue and other first responders.
This is part of the vision of Bacolod becoming a super city, Benitez said. “The foundation that we are creating today is really aligned towards the concept of a smart, super city.”
The Sangguniang Panlungsod already ratified the resolution of the City Development Council (CDC) confirming the PPP project for the infrastructure of a centralized command center and intelligent streetlamp poles with video surveillance and analytics.
The establishment of an e-Government of Property and Tax Assessment System as well as a Geographic Information System is also part of the CDC resolution. | CGC
