CAMERA-READY MMDA traffic constable Cesar Detera Jr. in action and ready to take a “shot” against hotheads on the road. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
If policemen draw courage from the guns they wield, this traffic marshal of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) feels “protected” thanks to the camera he brings to work.
But instead of just toting his clicker like a typical photographer, Cesar Detera Jr. has the device mounted as part of a headgear he himself assembled.
His “helmet camera” never fails to turn heads whenever Detera hits the streets. The MMDA was initially skeptical but now plans to distribute cameras to some constables within the year.
“If my colleagues value their lives, they should do the same,” said the 29-year-old MMDA constable who is currently assigned along the boundary of Pasay and Parañaque cities.
In an Inquirer interview on Saturday, he said he came up with the idea after a traumatic encounter with a motorist at the corner of Airport Road and Quirino last month.
“I was hit in the knees by a colorum jeepney. When I tried to issue a ticket to the driver for his violation, he hit me again,” Detera recalled. The experience made him think twice about issuing traffic violation tickets in the two weeks that followed.
Help from father
When he told his Australia-based father, Cesar Sr., about what happened—as well as his plan to never again feel defenseless against road bullies—the elder Detera agreed to send him money.
Cesar Jr. soon bought a “small, cheap camera” and, using double-sided adhesive tape, attached it to a helmet he got from an “ukay-ukay” store for P250.
“My dream actually is to get a GoPro camera. But the camera I have now is OK. It’s an SJ4000, Chinese version,” Detera said with a chuckle.
And the idea seemed to be working. Detera said that since he started manning his post with a camera on his head, motorists who would spot him seemed to be extra-careful about committing any violation.
“The drivers are really following (the rules) now. Even before I signal them to stop on a red light, they are already stopping. Unlike before when nothing happened even when I already had my hands in the air.”
He said he had encountered the worst drivers mostly in Baclaran.
“I know I’m now protected,” he said. Since any encounter with a hothead on the road can be recorded on his camera, “I can show proof (of the violation) for my own protection. The driver cannot just deny what happened and get away with it.”
The only downside, he said, is that the contraption which weighs about half a kilo can be quite heavy on the crown.