BAGUIO CITY – The Office of the President, through the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), released to the city government some P200 million for the put up of the city’s integrated and multipurpose command center that will maximize the use of the state-of-the-art safer cities technology and artificial intelligence.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong announced that the city government already received the pertinent documents from the Office of the President and the budget department on the release of the funds to jumpstart the processing of the necessary documents covering the conduct of the required public bidding for the realization of the city’s integrated command center.
He pointed out the operation of the multi-million multipurpose command center will the first of its kind in the country utilizing the safer cities technology and artificial intelligence to ensure innovated peace and order strategies, aggressive traffic management and effective disaster risk reduction and management.
The integrated command center will centralize all the city government’s peace and order, traffic and disaster risk reduction management and will be established in the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) located within the compound of the City Engineering Office in Lower Rock Quarry.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte reportedly promised to the city chief executive that the Office of the President will fund the city’s integrated and multipurpose command center to significantly improve all the aspects of peace and order, traffic and disaster risk reduction management.
According to him, the operation of the integrated command center will respect the basic rights of the people and will adhere to the ethical standards on surveillance even if the same will be using artificial intelligence.
Initially, four companies signified their intention to partner with the city government in the put up of the city’s integrated command center to same will be operational within the next several months after all the systems shall have been put in place by the winning bidder.
Magalong asserted that it is high time to embrace the latest technology in peace and order, traffic management and disaster risk reduction management to allow concerned agencies and offices of the city government to effectively respond to situations in the different parts of the city.
The city government’s existing closed circuit television (CCTV) and initial command center based at the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) will be incorporated in the integrated command center so that all matters related to its operation will be under the jurisdiction of the multipurpose command center.
He assured the efficiency of the operation of the integrated command system as it will pass through the different fibber optic cables of the different telecommunication companies operation in the city as the same will be involved in extensive data gathering that will be helpful in improving the overall programs, projects and activities of the city government pursuant to the present administration’s 15-point collective agenda.
By Dexter A. See