To boost the anti-crime initiative of the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Oplan Lambat-Sibat, Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary Mar Roxas on Friday, May 29, led the launch of Project SAFE KAm, a crime prevention measure that utilizes closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to aid the arrest of criminals and deter the occurrence of crimes.
The first 32 CCTV cameras were installed along the busy intersection of Pasay Rotonda, located at the corner of EDSA and Taft Avenue in Pasay City.
“About one million people from all walks of life pass by the EDSA-Taft area every day, and one way to make this area safe for them is to install CCTV cameras in strategic locations that will capture all the happenings from all the corners of the area,” Roxas said.
The CCTV cameras were installed in such a way that authorities have eyes in key walkways and footbridges located at the Rotonda.
During the presentation, Roxas also announced the designation of Safe Taxi Zones, where commuters can safely ride the taxi because they are monitored by CCTV cameras.
“Kasama ito sa ating programa na hindi bara-bara o patsamba-tsamba, hindi kanya-kanya at hindi ningas cogon. Nais natin na ipairal ang batas sa paraang deliberate, programmatic, at sustained upang maramdaman ng ating mamamayan ang kaligtasan sa ating lansangan,” Roxas said.
CCTV cameras can make it easier for investigators to identify the plate number of the taxi, the face of the driver, as well as the passenger.
“Kung sakali man na merong masama na nangyari sa pasahero matapos niyang sumakay ng taxi, sa pamamagitan ng recordings ng CCTV cameras ay mabilis na makukuha ang plaka ng taxi, ang body number ng taxi, ang hitsura ng driver maging ang pasahero. Magiging kasangkapan ang mga ito para mas mabilis na mahuli at mapanagot sa batas kung sino man ang gumawa ng krimen,” Roxas added.
Officials of the PNP said that Project SAFE KAm in Pasay Rotonda is the first of the seven crime-prone areas in Metro Manila identified by the PNP.
The other areas include the University Belt area in Manila, Monumento, MRT North Edsa Station-West Avenue, EDSA Cubao-Aurora Boulevard, Redemptorist in Baclaran, and De La Salle University along Taft Avenue.
About P650,000 was allocated for the project in Pasay Rotonda, which the government said is a small price to pay for the security of about a million people passing by in this area each day. This translates to an equivalent of about 65 centavos per people spent for their safety, it added.
Roxas added that half of the budget was shouldered by the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The project is a product of collaborative efforts from both the public and private sectors, which worked closely in order to give the citizens a safer environment.
“Ang importante ay safe ka kung dadaan sa sa lugar na ito,” Roxas stressed.
