TAGUIG CITY IS GETTING “wired” for the future—from its public school classrooms to major thoroughfares and vital points around the city.

By the end of the year, Taguig’s public schools will have virtual classrooms, with students able to participate in a discussion or listen to a teacher’s lecture without having to go to school. All they have to do in log on to the Internet.

The online learning system, or e-learning, is just one of many projects the Taguig City government hopes to achieve once it finishes the basic groundwork for its WiMax or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access project.

Mayor Freddie Tinga conducted a demonstration last week of the e-learning project that will be implemented in Taguig City Science High School and the city’s other public schools.

“Our brightest students will soon experience e-learning which is not only a video feed but a content feed as they will also see the same material the teacher is discussing in class,” he said during a press conference at the NBC Tent in Fort Bonifacio.

E-learning is just one of many applications the city government will implement through its WiMax technology that will also be introduced in city offices, barangay halls and other establishments.

WiMax is described as a technology that provides wireless data, making applications such as video conferencing, Internet browsing, streaming and broadcast faster compared to WiFi or wireless fidelity.

BlueMedia Communications, which will provide the city with the technology, said they are in the initial phase of linking city offices, buildings, barangay halls and schools through broadband Internet access.

“What will happen is that through e-learning, students can log on through their laptops and watch a professor’s lecture, and get the same content he presents to students in the classroom. It’s not just a video feed,” explained Ronny Cabouly of Talcom Co Ltd., an Israeli company, and BlueMedia’s partner.

The city government also plans to install a “City Protection System” where advanced security cameras will be set up in vital points in Fort Bonifacio and at major intersections.

Far from being ordinary closed-circuit television cameras, the different cameras can zoom in several times to take down the license plate of a vehicle. Other cameras will be equipped with thermal or night sensors to detect unusual movements, like a car running against the flow of vehicles.

Cabouly likened the technology to the all-seeing and all-knowing “Big Brother” in George Orwell’s prophetic novel, “1984.”

“If it detects a motion which is unusual, it will send an alarm so the person monitoring it can check if it is valid or not. That way, the person won’t have to watch the monitors every minute,” said BlueMedia’s Robin Llamas.

The cameras will be installed in 30 strategic intersections especially in Fort Bonifacio, where crimes against property are rampant, and on C-5 Road, where crimes against persons are prevalent.

“We will focus especially on junctions, places where people converge, and in transport hubs,” Llamas added.

He pointed out that with the new security features, policemen would be able to respond to calls for help faster as their cars would also be equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) features.

“With such advanced cameras, it will be like a thousand eyes all over the city to see what is going on. Residents and businessmen will feel safe, and criminals will be wary,” Llamas said.

Tinga said they hope to finish the preparations for the City Protection System also by the end of the year.

The cameras will not only show street crimes but live traffic feed from major thoroughfares, making the flow of vehicles a bit easier to manage.

“This will not be just about security, but also better traffic management and faster emergency response in case of incidents,” he said.