CCTV Cams Advised at PH Airports’ Bag-Check Areas
MANILA: Amid an alleged bullet-planting (tanim-bala or laglag-bala) scam hounding the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), the Philippine Congress has been advised to place high-definition (HD) closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all baggage-checking areas in the country’s airports.
“These incidents of tanim-bala are truly inimical to our tourism industry and to the national economy. We can utilize technology to our advantage, especially in protecting people and in preventing undesirable incidents from happening,” Las Piñas City (Metro Manila) Rep. Mark Villar, the principal author of House Bill 6243, was quoted as saying by Manila Times
The proposed measure, or the Luggage Surveillance Act of 2015, provides for the installation of HD CCTV cameras in all baggage- checking areas of airport terminals in order to prevent the planting of incriminating evidence, the report said.
An HD CCTV camera is one “capable of true high-definition 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080),” it added
The surveillance cameras shall be online for 24 hours and seven days a week and video recordings shall be kept for not fewer than 60 days from recording, the bill suggested.
Further, it mandates the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group to take charge of operating and maintaining the HD cameras in good condition, it added.
The authorized custodian shall maintain the confidentiality of video recordings, the bill states.
Also, the proposed measure provides that those who tamper with the HD CCTV cameras face a maximum of three years’ jail time and a fine not exceeding PhP30,000, or both, said the news portal.
Imprisonment not exceeding five years and a fine not more than PhP50,000, or both, apply if the violator is a public officer or employee, reported Manila Times.
The bill is reportedly pending before the House Committee on Transportation.