32 CCTVs in Biñan City

Biñan City in Laguna rolled out 32 units of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, three of them near the Laguna Lake, for round-the-clock monitoring of key areas and major thoroughfares in the city.

The installation of the CCTVs was not just an anticrime measure, according to Roman Carencia, city information officer.

Carencia said the CCTVs would also be used to monitor water level in the lake.

CCTVs were installed in the lakeside villages of Dela Paz and Malaban to serve as early warning devices during storms when water could rise in the lake and spill into residential areas.

Memories of Tropical Storm “Ondoy,” which struck in 2009, still haunt many lakeside areas in Laguna when water from the lake swallowed entire communities. The floods didn’t subside for months.

Carencia said the CCTVs would give authorities “a good view of the lake.”

The city government spent at least P30 million for the CCTV system, which was installed on February 2, he said.—Maricar Cinco