(Photo Courtesy of technology.inquirer.net)
Cebu City Council wants to find out who’s behind suspicious surveillance cameras in uptown areas
Not all CCTV cameras mounted on the streets of Cebu City are meant to deter crime, a member of the local legislature said yesterday.
Councilor Dave Tumulak yesterday said he is suspicious that the security cameras installed in the uptown area whose lens are facing the streets are being used by unscrupulous individuals to warn them of any threat posed by authorities.
He said he wanted to be clarified who had these cameras installed and for what reason.
“Kana kay gibutang diha, naa gyud nay gigamitan kay mahal baya ang pag-install ug CCTVs,” he said.
(There is a reason why the cameras were placed there despite the high cost of installing CCTVs.)
A closed-circuit television system which includes two infra-red dome cameras and a digital video recorder costs as low as P6,500. A more sophisticated system averages P10,000-P16,000.
Tumulak on Wednesday introduced a resolution before the City Council asking barangay officials and power and telecommunications service providers to trace and make an inventory of CCTV cameras mounted on utility poles.
“Ang mga barangay ug ang telcos ang atong gi-awhag sa pagbuhat sa inventory kay mas daghan man sila ug personnel unya mas familiar sila ug asa ang mga poste,” he said. (We’re tapping the barangays and the telcos to do the inventory as they have the personnel and they’re familiar with the location of the poles.)
Vice Mayor Edgar Labella ruled to include Tumulak’s proposed resolution in next week’s regular agenda.
Tumulak’s resolution gave a different view on the rationale of a city ordinance that compels business establishments to install CCTV surveillance systems as a pre-requisite for the issuance of business permits.
Those who advocate the wide use of CCTV systems argue that installing cameras would deter crimes as those with criminal intent would have second thoughts when they see security cameras around a potential crime scene. Police likewise say that CCTV camera recordings are of great help in solving crimes.
Tumulak said that he received reports about the presence of suspicious CCTV cameras in the uptown area. What puzzled him more was the way the cameras were positioned facing the roads.
“Mura bag gibutang na diha aron pag-monitor ug kinsa ang ni abot,” he said.
(It seems that the cameras were positioned to monitor who’s coming in.)
The city council passed last year and ordinance by Councilor Sisinio Andales that requires business establishments in the city to install CCTVs within their premises as a deterrence to criminality and to help police in the immediate resolution of crimes.
“We encourage establishments to put up CCTVs but not in public places,” said Tumulak.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo said that if the installation of the CCTVs in question are unauthorized, these should immediately be removed.
“We can’t also presume that it’s unauthorized,” replied vice mayor Labella.
“It’s unauthorized if there is no authorization by the city or the telcos of Veco,” Carillo retorted.
Anything that is unauthorized is illegal “and has to be removed,” Carillo added.
“The city has to send notice directing its owners to remove otherwise the city will be the one to remove these,” Carillo said.