Tumulak ‘not ready’ to show complete video to City Council

THE Cebu City Council was supposed to view the “complete” video footage of the security cameras focused on S. Osmeña Road where the removal of trees took place.

But Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the City Command Center (C3) which operates the security cameras, begged off saying the compact disc of recordings was “not ready for viewing” because he was busy the week before attending to Holy Week security preparations.

Tumulak wrote to Vice Mayor Edgar Labella on Monday to explain that his time was preoccupied last week with security preparations for the Holy Week.

He did not specify a new date.

“In the next few days, we will continue to update your office regarding the progress of the peparation of the CCTV footage of the subject incident,” he said.

Councilors held an executive session on April 14, where they saw selected footage of certain dates and pressed Tumulak on why he wouldn’t give a copy of the video to the DENR.

Tumulak explained that he was willing to grant a request “to view” the tape, but not to release a copy which could easily be spread over the Internet and expose the location of the security cameras.

Councilors agreed to view the “complete” recordings on April 20.

“The past week had been very tight and our technical men in the command center had been fully occupied in monitoring the observance of the Holy Week round the clock.

Despite extra efforts during (our) free period, still the review of the footages of the week suspected to be the time of the incident (removal of the trees) could not be finished as of today (April 20), and the CD containing the same could not be ready for viewing this afternoon,” stated Tumulak’s letter.

He asked for the council’s understanding “considering that the past week’s operation of the command center could not be hampered due to past experience of incidents mostly happening during the Holy Week celebration.”