Marikina explains P44M price tag for CCTV project

The Marikina City government on Friday explained the P44-million price tag for a project installing 100 closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) around the city, in a bid to dispel perceptions that it was overpriced.

The city government had awarded the project contract to Wizzard Technologies Inc., which would cover not the just the cameras but also the equipment and training needed to set up a command center, according to the city administrator, Jun Aguilar.

“The hardware they are supplying to us is high-tech. It comes with a vehicle plate recognition system and precision zoom. That price also includes the training on the use of the system. And the supplier has included 45 tablets in that package, which the city department heads can use to monitor the camera feeds anywhere they are,” Aguilar said in a telephone interview.

The company also agreed to a special warranty contract for the city government, he said. “Under our agreement, the company will provide us with a three-year warranty. So if anything in the system is found to be defective within that period, the supplier will have to replace it. Normally, these tech companies only give a one-year warranty for the equipment they supply,” Aguilar said.

The official noted that Wizzard also provided similar camera systems for the Pasig City government; the local police of Sta. Rosa, Laguna province; and other local governments in Isabela and Cagayan provinces.

He stressed that the project underwent a stringent and transparent bidding process. “Actually, we saved P21 million from the deal. The bids and awards committee estimated the project to cost P65 million, but we found this supplier that met all our specifications and delivered the contract at P44 million,” he said.

“The money that we save here can be spent on about 200 dump trucks or maybe even on Wi-Fi services covering the entire city,” he said. “And at the end of the day, the supplier will have to answer to us if we find that they have not lived up to our contract. We can file charges against them should they give us counterfeits, for example.”