DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 November) – Business owners applying or renewing their permits will be required to install modern closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in their premises.
This after the City Council approved on Tuesday an amendment to Ordinance No. 0407-12, Series of 2012.
First District Councilor Luna Acosta, Committee on Peace and Public Safety chair, also the proponent of the “Amended CCTV Ordinance in the City,” said the measure seeks to prioritize public safety without compromising the fundamental right to personal and data privacy, especially in private establishments and public areas.
Section 5 of the new ordinance amended the minimum specifications of CCTV cameras, and included in the new measure a requirement to acquire cloud storage along with hard disk drives for storing video footage.
Businesses with capital exceeding P3 million are obliged to have CCTV cameras with high-definition analog or at least two megapixel digital camera, 0.1 lux minimum illumination, 2.8 to 3.6mm focal length, auto-iris focus lens, and 1/30 to 1/50,000s shutter speed.
It must also capture less than 50 meters of infrared range, 120 dB wide dynamic range, pan and tilt adjustment of 0 to 180 degrees and rotate adjustment of 0 to 360 degrees, and must have a vandal-proof and IP 66 weatherproof casing.
The amended ordinance required that cameras must also feature a 30 frames-per-second (FPS) capability, in 720p or 1080p resolution, at least 10 megabits per second (Mbps) video bitrate and at least 64 Kilobits (Kbps) of audio bitrate, and has a time-stamping feature.
Businesses with capitalization of less than P3 million also need to comply with the new CCTV ordinance but with some exceptions, such as installing a standalone camera that can cover a visual distance of up to 30 feet.
However, establishments with existing CCTV systems before the ordinance was amended can be given leeway by up to one year in upgrading their camera specifications. The establishment will be allowed one year from its next renewal of business permit to comply with the new specifications.
Businesses covered by the newly amended ordinance are banks, pawnshops, shopping malls and similar establishments; educational centers, review centers, dormitories, factories, condominiums, hospitals, theaters, airports, car dealership stores, guns and ammunition shops, and other similar business
establishments.
Areas of worship, major roadways, parks, playgrounds, and public areas of conveyances are also covered by the ordinance.
Failure to comply with the new ordinance will cost business owners a penalty of P5,000 and an imprisonment of not more than one year for those who tamper their CCTV footage.
The amended ordinance stated that business establishments in the city must have a person-in-charge in operating the system. If there is no in-charge, business owners must make the recording readily available to law enforcement agencies upon request “in the interest of public safety.”
Business owners must also allow law enforcement authorities to see video recordings quickly in circumstances of hot pursuit or when time is of the essence in an ongoing investigation, it added.
CCTV cameras must be mounted in a safe location with maximum coverage of entrances/exits and areas of transaction or danger, with no blind spots, the ordinance said.
Acosta said the upgrading of CCTV cameras in the city is pursuant to the Department of Interior and Local Government’s Memorandum Circular No. 2022-060, which seeks the installation of up-to-date and high-tech surveillance cameras in business establishments.
A technical working group (TWG) will be formed to draft the implementing rules and regulations within 30 days after the amended CCTV ordinance was passed, subject to the approval of the City Mayor’s Office. The Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) shall serve as TWG secretariat. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
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