By 2016, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) will have a state-of-the-art closed circuit TV (CCTV) system replacing its antiquated surveillance equipment that dates back to the 1990s.
The P486 million-deal for the supply, installation and commissioning of the CCTV system at the NAIA complex is close to being sealed with the award of the project up for approval next month by the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) board of directors chaired by Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya.
Aside from upgrading the airport’s surveillance system, the project will also nearly double the number of security cameras to 719, leaving no blind spot in the entire NAIA complex. There are currently only 422 security cameras scattered around the four terminals.
According to MIAA assistant general manager for security and emergency services Vicente Guerzon, the bids and awards committee found no problem with the firm, which recently underwent post-qualification evaluation.
“The project will be submitted to the MIAA board in June. Hence, it is then safe to say that early next year is the completion date,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, adding that once approved the project would have a duration of 240 calendar days or approximately eight months.
Guerzon said that the upgrading of the CCTV system, including the purchase of more surveillance cameras, would definitely enhance security at the airport and make passengers feel safer.
“This is all about security. Having an upgraded CCTV system is vital to the airport. While having personnel to secure the airport is primary, the surveillance system will help a lot by relaying real-time information and provide footage after any incident,” he said.
Guerzon pointed out that the project for the supply, installation and commissioning of CCTV cameras and surveillance system in the NAIA complex would be worth P486,587,684.
“It involves the installation of 719 cameras in NAIA terminals 1, 2 and 4, including their parking areas, vehicular entry checkpoints, their entire perimeters, and the Airport Police Department headquarters,” he told the Inquirer.
The new CCTV system, the MIAA assistant manager said, would have an analytical function, including facial recognition and visual enhancement, and an intrusion detection function, which could read heat signatures.
“For example, it can immediately alert security personnel to intruders in restricted areas and it can enhance a license plate. The system has a 30-day storage capacity so it will be possible to retrieve and review videos,” he said.
He pointed out that the 187 security cameras and CCTV system at the NAIA terminal 3 has been included in the multimillion dollar contract with Takenaka Corporation for the facility’s rehabilitation and the integration of the terminal’s operational systems.
Under the P486-million project for the setup of a surveillance system for terminals 1, 2, and 4, independent monitoring hubs will be established for each terminal.
“Eventually all of this will be connected to the command operations center, which we are still finalizing. We are still threshing out the terms of reference for this project, which will soon be offered for bidding,” Guerzon said.
He told the Inquirer that everything captured by the terminals’ monitoring hubs would be accessed through the command center operations center which would be set up at terminal 2.
“Whatever can be seen in the terminals will be seen here (command center operations),” he stressed, adding that the MIAA crisis committee could convene at the command center operations should an emergency arise at the NAIA complex.
According to Guerzon, the command center operations will be set up while the CCTV system installation is going on. “So by the time the installation is completed, all we need to do is hook up the surveillance systems in the three terminals.”
Initially, there were 41 bidders for the CCTV system installation in 2014, but before the MIAA could open bids, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) issued a safety advisory warning against wireless connectivity.
The CAAP said that setting up a wireless CCTV system at the airport would interfere with aviation electronics and navigational equipment, which prompted the bids and awards committee to change the terms of reference for the project to involve fiber optic connectivity.
A subsequent pre-bidding conference was held in December, 2014, but was only able to open the actual bidding in February this year to allow interested bidders sufficient time to obtain the necessary documentary requirements for eligibility.
In the February bidding, there were 11 interested firms but the number was cut down to three when some of the bidders were either late or failed to show up to submit their offers.
The lowest calculated bidder was disqualified in the post-qualification evaluation on a legal question although it met technical and financial requirements. The company was allowed to appeal the decision of the bids and awards committee but its plea for reconsideration was denied on April 21.
The second lowest bidder was then considered and was able to meet all requirements based on the post qualification evaluation, the results of which came out last week.
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