JV Ejercito: P20B ‘video surveillance system’ might be rejected by Senate

MANILA, Philippines — There’s a chance the P20-billion “video surveillance system” project to be contracted by a Chinese firm would be rejected by the Senate, Senator JV Ejercito said Friday.

“Some senators will introduce amendments. If not satisfied with documents and info submitted, big chance it will be taken out because of national security issues,” Ejercito said in a statement when asked about the issue.

During plenary debates on the 2019 national budget, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto warned the project could pose “security threat” since Chinese equipment supplier Huawei has been blacklisted in several countries for hacking and spying.

He also said the project– which involves installing 12,000 closed-circuit television cameras in Metro Manila and Davao City– might compromise the local telco infrastructure since the contractor, China International Telecommunication Construction Corp. (CITCC), was an affiliate of China Telecommunications Corp. (China Telecom).

China Telecom is among the Mislatel Consortium, the group tapped to be the newest telco service provider in the country last November 7.

“China will have access on surveillance, PNP (Philippine National Police) database, [and other] big data on Filipinos and we will be paying for it. Crazy,” Recto was quoted as saying in a Philippine Daily Inquirer report.  /muf

READ: Alarm raised over Chinese video surveillance project