The City Police Advisory Council of Dumaguete, presided by Dr. Henry Sojor, passed a resolution lask week seeking for an explanation from the Philippine Long Distance Telephone as to why certain closed-circuit television cameras that were installed around the City continue to be non-functioning.
Acting Chief of Police PLt Col. Wilfredo Alarcon Jr. told the advisory committee that when a motorbike bumped his car on Nov. 4 last year near Robinsons Mall — three days before the murder of Dindo Generoso, no CCTV footages could be reviewed because he was told the signal bogged down.
He lamented that in the absence of any CCTV footage, he had to shell out at least P40,000 for the repair of his car.
Alarcon has also confirmed the query of the advisory council that only 70 percent of the CCTV cameras were in fact working when lawyer Rey Moncada was shot infront of his residence in barangay Daro.
Only a few footages of the riding-in-tandem suspects were available, especially near the crime scene.
To date, no case has been filed against Moncada’s perpetrators. A case build-up continues, in coordination with the Criminal Investigation & Detection Group of the Province.
Another concern brought by a Department head in Dumaguete is in the matter of the availment of CCTV footages especially for medico-legal cases, as it has become easier to issue statements that the cameras were not working when the incidents happened — like the time when two prominent persons had a fist fight along the boulevard.
When they checked the CCTV control room, they were simply told the cameras were not working at that time.
On the Generoso slay, Alarcon said supplemental affidavits are being prepared, as soon as additional evidences are uncovered, to include the communication between persons allegedly involved in the murder. He said suspect Teddy Salaw’s cellphone has been endorsed to Camp Crame after the failure of the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime unit to open it. (Juancho Gallarde)