PGIN to install CCTV in border checkpoints

By Leilanie G. Adriano (Staff Reporter)

LAOAG CITY—The province government of Ilocos Norte is set to install high definition closed-circuit television cameras at the Badoc gateway to monitor the entry and exit of individuals passing through the boundary of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Reynaldo “Ryan” R. Remigio, external affairs consultant of the provincial government, confirmed this in a press conference as the province continue to implement quarantine protocols and ensure all those who are entering the borders adhere to the minimum public health and safety standards.

“We plan to set up a CCTV camera along our borders so we can closely check and verify those who are entering our province,” said Mr. Remigio citing the installation process is already on-going.

He added that there are around 60-80 locally stranded individuals that pass through the major provincial border in Badoc, Ilocos Norte aside from a growing number of returning overseas workers that undergo screening before they can be permitted to enter the province.

The initial installation of CCTV will start at the Badoc border which is the main entry point in the province.

Regardless if these individuals have proof of documents to show that they have completed their 14-day quarantine elsewhere, Dr. Rhina Corpuz, head of the provincial government’s quarantine facilities said Thursday all returning residents must undergo strict facility-based quarantine for a period of 10-14 days.

“Conditional home quarantine maybe allowed only if a ‘quarantiner’ has [his/her] own room with bathroom and [they have] no vulnerable population at home,” said Ms. Corpuz as she pointed out all returning residents have to undergo another 14-day quarantine period upon arrival in the province.

She added that antibody testing, with or without symptoms, is also mandatory before the provincial government release them.

 

Hi-tech CCTV cameras

According to Mr. Remigio, Ilocos Norte will be the first province in Region I to install a high-definition camera surveillance system.

“The CCTV installation along the Badoc Border is the first in Region I. Talagang hi-tech. Sa Badoc muna tayo maglalagay ng ganitong CCTV dahil karamihan ng mga dumadating na returning overseas Filipinos at locally stranded individuals ay dito pumapasok.”

The provincial government will use the surveillance system to monitor the compliance of returning residents to quarantine protocols and access real-time information for strengthened contact tracing. It will further serve as a verification tool to ensure all delivery cargos and other vehicles entering the province are going to their places of destination as declared in their entry form.

The plan calls for the installation of five CCTV cameras in specific locations: Gateway Arch for the outgoing and incoming vehicles; Badoc border quarantine facility, holding area for returning residents, and Badoc police outpost.

The "smart" features of hi-tech cameras include an “automatic number plate recognition”, which can also identify the speed and manufacturer of a vehicle, face detection, full-color and color night vision, and an alarm system for Highway Patrol Group-tagged "hot cars" that pass through the border, among others.

 

IN-C5

Earlier, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc confirmed another confirmed COVID-19 case in the province.

He identified the patient as a 22-year old woman from Brgy. Duripes in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte and who travelled from Parañaque, Manila to Ilocos Norte.

The governor stressed that they immediately quarantined the patient at a Duripes isolation unit.

On June 29, 2020, she was admitted at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center in Batac City because she was pregnant. Result of her swab test however yielded positive.

As of this posting, Brgy. Duripes is now under a temporary locked down as more than 20 individuals who had close contact with patient IN-C5 underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing.

The RT-PCR is the current standard test for COVID-19 which is now fully operational at the Batac hospital. (With a report from Blessing Angel V. Agliam)