City’s P15-M purchase of security cameras probed

The Cebu City Council is looking into the purchase of 30 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras worth P15 million by the executive department last year.

“Was this (purchase of CCTVs) part of the disaster plan because as I remember there is no approved disaster plan yet. What’s the basis? Why was it paid? It never passed the city council,” Councilor Margot Osmeña asked yesterday.

City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said all documents were in order. The supplier was paid in September last year.

She said the purchase didn’t need to secure the council’s approval since the purchase order for the CCTVs was prepared in February 2013.

A joint memorandum circular which requires council approval for the use of unspent disaster funds was passed the next month.

Conrado Ordesta III, a Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) member who also heads the department tasked to monitor the CCTV feeds, said there are 20 CCTVs installed on Cebu City’s main thoroughfares while 10 are at the mayor’s office and basement parking area of City Hall.

“Why are there cameras at the mayor’s office, is that part of disaster? Does this have approval by the disaster office,” Osmeña asked.

Each camera costs P500,000. Ordesta said the amount includes installation of the system, server, connectivity, control center and network design to accommodate more cameras in the future.

Ordesta said six bidders joined the pre-bid conference last Jan. 26, 2013 and Hello Marketing won the bidding.

“Why were they paid quickly considering that other (suppliers) have not been paid yet?” Osmeña asked.

The council invited Alvin Santillana, operations chief of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC), who requested the purchase to explain his side.

They also invited a representative of Hello Marketing to attend the council session on Feb. 5.