Minglanilla installs facial, plate recognition cameras

CEBU, Philippines — The Municipality of Minglanilla has recently launched the new Minglanilla Traffic Command Center (Mitcom) with facial recognition and plate recognition features being used in some of its cameras, the first in Cebu.

Minglanilla is also the first among Cebu Province’s component municipalities to have a modern command center, aimed at helping address traffic and security concerns.

It is also aimed at facilitating rapid response to accidents and any eventuality, reinforcing Mayor Rajiv Enad’s mantra of rapid action in delivering government service.

“We are very happy to see that we can closely monitor all roads and major corners. Everybody in Minglanilla is assured that if there are traffic violations, or collisions or any incident on our thoroughfares, we are better equipped now to respond to it,” said Enad, in a press statement.

The first termer mayor led the ribbon cutting of the command center alongside Minglanilla’s new traffic chief, Glenn Antigua.

Although it is only newly opened, the command center has already been instrumental in solving crimes even during its testing period.

Theft of a bicycle for example, was solved through footage taken from the cameras as well as an incident of a cell phone that was left inside a tricycle. In both instances, the owners got their properties back.

Since Enad assumed office last month, he has been taking steps to achieve a better traffic situation in Minglanilla.

These include penalizing a truck company for the traffic congestion caused by their truck that got stalled on the highway.

His administration is also moving to approve ordinances to impose stiffer penalties for stalled vehicles and other road obstructions, as well as to regulate the hours that trucks can use their highways. —GMR (FREEMAN)