All 81 city CCTVs reported non-functional since 2017 — Councilor Jonjon Rodriguez

Councilor Jonjon Rodriguez revealed that all 81 closed-circuit television (CCTV) units installed throughout the city have been non-functional since 2017.

His disclosure followed Councilor Roger Abaday’s special report urging the mandatory installation of CCTV systems in all barangays to strengthen crime prevention and improve the efficiency of police investigations.

Rodriguez said that the issue of the city’s non-operational CCTVs was raised two weeks ago during a meeting of the committee on public utilities, chaired by Councilor Eric Salcedo.

Discussions were held with the contractor to identify solutions to restore the system. He noted that each CCTV unit has its own technical problems that need to be examined individually, and a technical working group has since been formed to address the matter.

The committee is expected to reconvene next week to present a full report and recommendations, including the estimated cost the local government will need to allocate per unit for repair and reactivation. Rodriguez also invited Councilor Abaday to participate in the upcoming meeting to further discuss the issue.

He likewise expressed hope that all 81 CCTVs across the barangays can be restored, along with the city’s traffic lights, and also called for an increased budget for CCTV maintenance by 2027. (JDO/SP)