Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo leads the ribbon-cutting rites opening the Command and Control Center with 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales, Jr., Gov. Dennis G. Pineda, Mayor Edwin Santiago, Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin, Converge ICT’s Dennis Uy and PLDT Enterprise’s Dennis Magbatoc. Contributed photos
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Already in operation since June and tested last week by Typhoon Ulysses, the city government’s Command and Control Center, dubbed C3, was officially inaugurated Monday.
“Kahandaan ang sandata natin laban sa mga kalamidatad at sakuna. Ang pagkakatatag ng C3 ay ang pinaka-unang hakbang upang maisakatuparan ang adhikain natin na maging smart, green, vibrant, resilient, at technology-driven city,” Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago said at the inauguration rites attended by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 3rdDistrict Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., and Gov.Dennis “Delta” Pineda.
Lending a strong IT presence at the event were top telco honchos Dennis A Uy, founder-CEO of Converge ICT Solutions, Inc. and Dennis Magbatoc, assistant vice president of PLDT Enterprise.
Welcoming the guests were Vice Mayor Jimmy T. Lazatin, members of the city council, and chief of offices.
Located at the City Civic Center in Barangay San Isidro, C3 is a two-storey facility with a 973.46 square meter area.
Its main feature is the Operation Center equipped with an LED display billboard for faster response during emergencies. This allows the sharing and monitoring of recorded clips from the 110 bullet cameras and 16 PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras mounted in strategic areas around the city, particularly the principal thoroughfares of MacArthur Highway, Jose Abad Santos Avenue, Dolores and Lazatin junctions.
“We now have eyes that are watching the situation of the city all day and all night. We deployed personnel here that are highly-trained to be alert and conscious of everything that they can monitor on their screens,” enthused Santiago.
The center is manned 24/7 by trained personnel from different rescue and security departments in the city headed by Raymond Del Rosario, city disaster risk reduction management officer.
To ensure data and information transmission even on telecom blind spots, a communication tower was installed at the site.
A media room is also provided inside the C3 for smoother and convenient coordination when significant instructions or alerts need to be relayed.
“The construction and opening of C3 was actually delayed because the Civic Center became an isolation facility for our Covid-19 patients but I pushed for it to be finished this year because this is really necessary for the peace and order and disaster response of the city,” Santiago said.
He noted how C3 was tested by Typhoon Ulysses and “I can really say that we did not have a hard time in the monitoring and other operations.”
Last building standing
Santiago sees C3 as the “last building standing” in the city, firmly confident of its solid foundation and efficient structural design.
Strategically located at the geographical center of San Fernando, C3 has very low susceptibility to flooding. Its foundations are made of steel I-beams making it resistant to earthquake and liquefaction.
The P220-million fund for the project, according to Santiago, came from savings of the city government and assistance from business sector stakeholders.
The project, he said, was born of his belief that “investing in the protection and safety of the constituency is essential in attaining a sense of confidence and pride among Fernandinos.”
“Lagi kong sinasabi: Fernandino ang dapat nauuna at nangunguna. Una at nangunguna sa proteksyon, sa seguridad, at de-kalidad na pamumuhay. Pero ano man ang nasimulan at natapos natin ngayon, i-alay natin sa Diyos, sa mga Fernandino, sa mga cabalen at sa bawat Pilipino,” he said. With CSFP-CIO
