YES, BACOLOD City has three ordinances — all related to closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. But why three?
The logic is simple: CCTV cameras are vital today.
Why?
Each unit can deter crime and provide crucial evidence during investigations. In businesses, workplaces, homes, and private properties, CCTV systems allow remote monitoring, ensuring security and peace of mind.
Bacolod, in this sense, is actually not outdated — but perhaps even ahead.
In 2012, the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved City Ordinance No. 595, popularly known as “Bacolod City’s Eye in the Sky.”
This statute mandates the city to install, monitor, and maintain CCTV systems in strategic public locations for traffic management, public movement monitoring, and crime prevention.
In 2014, the SP passed City Ordinance No. 667, authored by then-Councilor El Cid Familiaran. It requires the installation of CCTV cameras in all public elementary and high schools to discourage lawlessness through video surveillance.
Then in March 2015 came the third measure, City Ordinance No. 08-15-722. This ordinance requires government-owned and commercial/banking institutions to install CCTV cameras inside and around their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) booths.
‘Good for the Archives’
Unfortunately, these three city edicts now seem “good only for the archives.” In reality, they have become pointless. They do not deter crime, nor do they function as originally intended.
Why?
Because police authorities cannot easily access CCTV footage unless the system is owned by the city government. If privately owned, police need to secure a court order before owners can be compelled to release video recordings. That delay often renders the footage less useful.
Colonel Joeresty Coronica, the Bacolod City police director, has been appealing since last year for the SP to amend these CCTV-related ordinances.
The essence of his appeal:
For the ordinances to be effective, they must clearly state that police may access CCTV footage without the need for a court order, especially in urgent or time-sensitive investigations.
Coronica’s request was reportedly coursed through the office of Councilor Psyche Marie “Pao” Sy, chairperson of the Committee on Police, Jails and Fire.
A year has passed.
The Committee remains silent — or “naïve,” as some say — about this urgent police request. No updates, no statements, no action.
Murders 1, 2, 3, 4
And now here comes the greater mess — four major murder cases in the “City of Smiles.”
Since December 2024, Bacolod has recorded four major killings still unsolved:
* Businessman Michael Garcia, gunned down in front of his computer shop in Barangay 40 on December 3, 2024.
* Efren Banaglorioso, a church driver, peppered with 17 bullets in front of Cosmopolitan Evangelical Church along Circumferential Road, Barangay Taculing, on August 29.
* Engineer Romie Li, a Filipino-Chinese businessman and owner of Republic Hardware, assassinated while opening his store on Bonifacio Street, Barangay 12, on September 2.
* Freah Mae Go, a 17-year-old girl, allegedly raped, murdered, and dumped in a grassy area in the Reclamation Area on October 22.
All four remain unsolved to this day.
Coronica attributes the slow investigations to their inability to secure CCTV footage from various establishments near the crime scenes. Police cannot compel owners to release the recordings.
Worse, one bank reportedly asked police to pay ₱2,000 before giving access to footage related to the Freah Mae Go case.
Calling Out Sy
During a press conference on Tuesday, December 2, Coronica again expressed frustration. Of the 44 CCTV cameras they hoped to access for the Go investigation, only 22 were granted. The rest remain inaccessible.
On Facebook, many netizens are now calling out Councilor Sy.
They ask:
Why was Sy chosen as chairperson of the Committee on Police, Jails and Fire when she has no background in any of these sectors?
The committee chairmanship, they say, is a mismatch.
Same ‘Agony’
With these murder cases piling up, Coronica shares the same “agony.” His request to amend the three CCTV ordinances continues to go unaddressed.
What else can he do?
And what is the Committee on Police, Jails and Fire’s response to the killings — especially when its inaction on the needed ordinance amendments directly affects investigations?
Is the chairperson aware of how vital the Committee is to solving these four consecutive murders?
Being part of a “silent committee” is not a crime, but inaction is inexcusable.
If Sy finds it challenging to craft amendments, she can tap consultants or seek help from her SP colleagues. She has both a mandated and moral obligation.
The clock is ticking.
If these four cases remain unsolved — and more killings follow — Bacolod risks being branded the “Murder Capital” of the Philippines.”
Sy’s Committee on Police, Jails and Fire cannot wait until it is blamed.
It must act now — before it becomes too late./PN
