• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Janice Degamo is pushing for the establishment of a district safety surveillance program in Bayawan City and the towns of Bacong, Basay, Dauin, Sta. Catalina, Siaton, Valencia, and Zamboanguita.
“By strategically installing modern high-definition CCTV systems in crime-prone and high-traffic areas, we are taking proactive steps to prevent crime, swiftly manage incidents, and save lives,” Degamo said in House Bill 01750, now pending with the House Committee on Public Order and Safety.
Surveillance technology is not merely a tool for post-incident investigation. It is a powerful deterrent against criminal behavior, a means to ensure traffic discipline, and a pillar of faster, smarter emergency response, the neophyte congresswoman stressed.
The proposed district safety surveillance program includes the installation of high-definition, weather-proof, and night-vision-enabled closed circuit television system cameras at strategic locations across the third district, including major intersections, highways, crime-prone areas, public markets, schools, parks, transport terminal, government buildings, and critical infrastructure.
Degamo also pushed for the installation of hardwired emergency phones with direct lines to the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
These phones should be mounted in major intersections, highways, crime-prone areas, public markets, parks, and transport terminals, among others.
The establishment of a district command center, on the other hand, will ensure real-time monitoring, and shall maintain and archive footage for investigation purposes and coordinate rapid response activities, to be operated jointly by the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, concerned local government units, BFP, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and other stakeholders, Degamo said. | CGC
