List of CCTV cameras real but obsolete

FROM a command center, MMDA personnel keep their eyes peeled for errant motorists on major thoroughfares. FILE PHOTO

A DAY after disowning the list showing the supposed locations of its closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, the head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) admitted on Monday that it was authentic but outdated.

According to MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos, the list which came out on April 27 on the Facebook page of an automotive magazine was legitimate.

He said it was submitted by the agency last year as part of security preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the Edsa traffic Technical Working Group consultation meetings.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Carlos criticized the people behind the publication of the list which showed the supposed locations of 34 of the MMDA’s CCTV cameras on Edsa, Commonwealth Avenue and C-5.

Although he stressed that the list had got “less than five” of the locations correct, Carlos questioned the motives of those who leaked it.

But on Monday, he said the “leakage” would not affect the MMDA’s no-contact apprehension policy since the agency had over 600 CCTV cameras to monitor drivers who commit traffic violations.

Since it began the reimplementation of the contactless policy on April 15, the MMDA has not revealed the locations of its cameras to ensure that drivers would follow traffic regulations at all time.

Under the no-contact apprehension policy, the MMDA monitors traffic violations like speeding, beating the red light and disregarding the yellow box, and loading and unloading zones. Violators are sent notices which they can protest or comply with within seven days.

Asked if the MMDA planned to go after the persons who released the list, Carlos said it would be hard for them to trace the original source of the leak.

The MMDA chair added that he got angry at first when he learned about the leakage although he calmed down when he realized that the list was “immaterial.”

According to Carlos, the list has since been updated as the MMDA recently installed an additional 250 high-definition CCTV cameras in different areas throughout the metropolis.

The agency’s primary reason for reimplementing the no-contact apprehension policy, he said, was to encourage motorists to follow traffic rules and practice self-discipline.

Catching errant motorists was only secondary, Carlos added.

More cameras coming

According to him, the agency plans to install 100 more CCTV cameras in Metro Manila before the end of the month.

Meanwhile, the MMDA has  deferred the launch of the online database where motorists can check whether or not they have been caught committing a traffic violation under the no-contact policy.

Carlos said they were still working on the technical details of the database and how it would be released online.

However, the MMDA chair did not give any definite date on the rescheduled database launch.