Manila’s CCTV cameras now have facial recognition capability

The Manila City Government has set in motion a plan to install thousands of surveillance cameras capable of facial and plate number recognition across the city.

In a 24 Oras report by Marisol Abdurahman on Thursday, Mayor Isko Moreno insisted that the new cameras will not infringe on citizens’ privacy.

“Gusto lang namin maiparamdam na karapatan ng mga taga-Lungsod ng Maynila na mamuhay nang payapa at panatag,” he said.

Aside from recognizing faces, the cameras' software is also capable of quickly identifying citizens’ criminal records with the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

“Sa mga kriminal na may records… hindi kayo puwede sa Maynila,” Moreno warned.

The new cameras are also capable of recognizing conduction stickers and plate numbers of vehicles even in low-light situations.

The Supreme Court has previously warned that surveillance cameras must not be used to “pry into the privacy of another’s residence or business office as it would be no different from eavesdropping, which is a crime under the Anti-Wiretapping Law.”

Moreno said the cameras will only be installed in public areas to allay fears over invasion of privacy. — Julia Mari Ornedo/BM, GMA News