By Jhon Aldrin Casinas The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) launched Friday in Marikina City two benchmark projects related to public discipline and safety. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año and Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro led the launching of the Disiplina Muna campaign and the Safe Philippines Project of the DILG. The Disiplina Muna campaign is an offshoot of the nationwide road clearing operations recently, where the City of Marikina earned a “high-compliance” rating from the DILG for its road clearing efforts. It also seeks “to revive the culture of discipline as a bridge toward real change.” The culture of discipline, according to Teodoro, has long been observed in Marikina. “The cleanliness, obstruction-free roads, and peace and order in our city are the proof that Marikina residents are well disciplined,” the mayor said. “We have been promoting the culture of discipline in Marikina for so long that Marikeños have passed on the values from generation to generation.” In his message, Año lauded the Marikina City government for implementing measures and policies for maintaining its roads clean and free of obstruction. The Safe Philippines Project, meanwhile, is a crime busting measure that seeks to reduce criminality in the community and improve emergency response time through the use of high-definition and advanced close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and other technologies. Under the project, the DILG will provide “a smart solution and system integration to combat crime and emergency management and disaster mitigation” to ensure the safety of the public. The Marikina City government, through the project, will be receiving 234 high-definition cameras, 300 digital handsets, and 12 units of one-key emergency button devices. The cameras, the mayor said, will be installed in around 80 locations in 16 barangays in Marikina. “With more eyes to monitor incidents in the city in real time, we can immediately deploy policemen or emergency response teams to address criminality, traffic, fire, or any untoward incidents,” Teodoro said. “Constant monitoring can also preempt crime… as criminals will surely think twice as our law enforcement personnel can arrest them quickly,” he added. A command center will also be set up to house personnel from the Marikina City Rescue 161, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Office of Public Safety and Security, who will monitor any untoward incidents in the city. Año said that the privacy of the public will be protected because the government will install security protocols in the system to ensure protection of data against hacking. “Wala tayong ikakabahala dito. Kasama natin ang DICT (Department of Information and Technology). Wala din tayong ilalagay na classified information kasi public safety ito. Walang mga top secret o secret part na ilalagay dito,” he said. (There is nothing to worry about. We are working with the DICT on this. We will not be sharing classified or top secret information because this is a matter of public safety.) The benchmark projects were launched in a ceremony at Marikina Hotel and Convention Center, witnessed by DILG officials, Marikina City officials, and representatives of some Metro Manila mayors. Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivares and Metropolitan Manila Development General Manager Jojo Garcia were also present during the launching.