BAGUIO CITY—Former Councilor Fred Bagbagen has questioned the City Council for enacting an ordinance governing the installation of close-circuit television cameras in business establishments because it merely expanded the coverage of an existing local legislative measure passed in 2008 with the same purpose.
Bagbagen, in his letter to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, stated the consolidated ordinance requiring business establishments to install CCTV cameras, video recorders and monitors for security purposes should not have been a new ordinance but it should be an amendment to Ordinance No. 88, series of 2008.
The newly approved ordinance was authored by Councilor Edgar M. Avila under Proposed Ordinance No. PO 0086-2016, Vice Mayor Edison Bilog under PO 0050-2012 with Bagbagen as the co-author and consolidated by Councilor Benny O. Bomogao under PO-2016.
Bagbagen pointed out Ordinance 88, series of 2008 which he authored is not a mere proposal as it was already enacted into an ordinance when it was approved by the former City Council during its regular session on Oct. 20, 2008.
“Secondly, it is of course not legally tenable for a former councilor to be a co-author to the new ordinance but the authors should have referred to the original ordinance as their basis and made it an amendatory local legislative measure,” Bagbagen stressed.
While the intention of the proponents was noble because they expanded the coverage of the original measure, the former councilor claimed the proponents should have given credit to where credit is due by recognizing the existence of a similar proposal that was even enacted as an ordinance way back in 2008 and treated their proposals as a clear amendment to the existing one.
Per him, there is a need for the present council to do the appropriate remedy to correct the newly passed CCTV ordinance to reflect the original proposal for better legislation.
Bagbagen remains optimistic that the current members of the local legislative body will consider his simple observations on the matter and will take the appropriate actions to correct what have been already done in respect to the original proponents of a similar legislation.
The new CCTV ordinance is now in full force and effect and the City Permits and Licensing Division is now conducting the required information education campaign to all business establishments to already start installing the appropriate CCTV cameras and video recorders as well as the necessary signage for the guidance of their customers.
Business establishments are given a grace period with which to comply with the installation of the required CCTV cameras and video recorders in strategic areas in their areas of operation. This would ensure that customers will be protected from unscrupulous individuals wanting to take advantage of people and pursue their planned illegal activities in these places.