By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
Business establishments in the city are now required to install at least four video surveillance cameras or closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in their premises.
This higher requirement for CCTVs followed the approval of an amended ordinance on Wednesday.
The ordinance sought amendments to Sections 3, 7, and 15 of the “CCTV Ordinance of Iloilo City” which was passed in May this year.
The amended city ordinance emphasized that the “recent events in Iloilo City demonstrated that there is a need to increase the number of (CCTVs) covering the sidewalks and streets abutting and fronting business establishments.”
As per the revisions, all businesses, commercial complexes, and establishments are now required to install at least four cameras covering the areas of transaction and spaces considered as high risk.
The ordinance specifies that at least two cameras should be strategically positioned at the frontage of any establishment, facing the street from the entrance.
CCTVs are also subject to readjustment based on recommendations from the Business Permits and Licensing Division and the Iloilo City Police Office following their inspection.
Meanwhile, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas emphasized the importance of CCTVs in establishments citing that it is designed to help prevent and detect crime
“It is significant because our police cannot be there all the time […] Our CCTVs will be able to record what’s happening, what has happened, and that will provide us with a clear image of the events,” he explained.
Treñas also mentioned that he is yet to convene with the Iloilo City CCTV Camera Council, a council he chairs.
The city government is pushing for an enhanced public safety and security mechanism through the integration of CCTVs across the 180 villages into the Iloilo City Action and Response Command Center.
More recently, the City Council (Sangguniang Panlungsod) also passed a resolution mandating CCTV installations in all the villages of the city.
This resolution aligns with a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) memorandum urging local officials to enact ordinances requiring CCTV systems as a prerequisite for securing business permits.
