The newly-enhanced Traffic and Security Monitoring System (TSMS) at the Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) Command Center in Barangay Pusok, Lapu-lapu City. (PIA 7)
CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The two bridges connecting Mactan Island to mainland Cebu are now equipped with a traffic and security monitoring system that uses artificial intelligence.
The Mactan-Cebu Bridge Management Board (MCBMB) is now using the newly-enhanced Traffic and Security Monitoring System (TSMS) at its Command Center in Barangay Pusok, Lapu-lapu City.
Both bridges, the Serging Osmeña Bridge or the First Cebu-Mactan bridge and the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, are equipped with 39 solar-powered CCTV or panoramic-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras strategically positioned to monitor all activities on and underneath the bridges.
The AI-enabled traffic and security systems are capable of detecting human-shapes, faces, and vehicles.
It also has a license plate capture capability.
All license plates of the vehicles passing through both bridges are recorded to better assist authorities in the investigation of crimes in the area.
As the bridges also seem to be a favorite spot for people who want to take their own lives, the TSMS also includes a Public Address (PA) system to call the attention of individuals who show suspicious behavior.
The Command Center will be manned by three technical personnel on different shifts, who will be on standby to closely monitor the activities on and under the bridges every day.
The TSMS enhancement costs P5.4 million, which is part of the total P9.5 million worth of infrastructure upgrades of the two bridges.
MCBMB noted that the enhancement costs include the information technology (IT) landscape installed in the command center to fully operationalize the system.
“We have elevated our intelligence and information gathering to the next level,” said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia who sits as chairperson of the MBCB.
MCBMB was created by virtue of Executive Order No. 181 in 1999 to coordinate the development, maintenance, and use of the Serging Osmeña Bridge and the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.
Safer drive
Jessica Palen, who lives in Lapu-lapu City but drives to her workplace in Cebu City, said she feels safer driving through the bridge now that it is equipped with the new system.
“Mas nindot na siya agian kay dili naka mabalaka sa imohang safety isip isa ka muagiay sa bridge. Dili nalang ta puro panaghap nga mao kana mao kini nag nahitabo kay naa nama’y mas klaro nga makahatag nato og impormasyon,” said Palen.
(I don’t have to worry anymore about my safety passing through the bridge. With the new technology, it can clearly capture information on whatever happens on the bridge.)
Government employee Hermes Jude Juntillo, who lives in Lapu-lapu City and has to pass through the bridge on his way to work, said the new technology is an advantage especially for public transport and the safety of commuters.
“Of course, CCTV in the bridge is very welcome to the public and it’s always an advantage for a public place or a public road. Having the activities recorded can always be used for security, planning, and protection,” Juntilo said. (JJT/PIA7)
