Students of Quezon City’s schools, beware. “Big Brother” will soon be watching you. The city government is planning to install security cameras in the 142 public elementary and secondary schools under its jurisdiction. Last week, the city council passed a resolution authorizing Mayor Herbert Bautista to enter into a memorandum of agreement for the purchase of the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and equipment for command and control centers. The project will cost the city around P89.253 million, according to the resolution penned by Councilors Juliene Alyson Rae Medalla and Melencio Castelo Jr. There are 96 public elementary schools and 46 secondary schools in Quezon City. “The safety and security of the city’s children is the responsibility of the school once they step on school grounds,” the councilors said in the resolution. Video surveillance can be “effectively utilized to monitor those who visit the schools, track unacceptable student behavior and maintain a record for evidence of crime,” the councilors added. Jaymee T. Gamil
Home for elderly to rise in QC
The Quezon City Council passed on third and final reading last week an ordinance establishing a public home for the elderly in the area. The ordinance, drafted by Councilors Ramon Medalla, Rogelio Juan, Ranulfo Ludovica and Eufemio Lagumbay, seeks to establish a city government-run shelter for senior citizens, particularly those who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Based on the ordinance, the home could also provide a “short-term” service, akin to a daycare center, for any senior citizen left temporarily alone without a caregiver. The shelter will attend to all the basic needs of the elderly, including medical care and recreational activities. The recently passed ordinance places the home for the aged under the supervision and management of the city social services department which, in 2013, already submitted such a proposal to Mayor Herbert Bautista. Jaymee T. Gamil