The 21st Davao City Council approved on third and final reading the ordinance that seeks to strengthen the border security system of Davao City, through the integration of AI facial recognition technology.
Committee on Information and Technology Chairperson Bonz Andrei Militar, in a media forum following the approval, bared that they have considered data privacy and security features to be observed in the use of the AI technology.
“In AI facial recognition, hindi kasama sa system ang pagkuha ng data sa mga individuals, only the data provided by PNP, Task Force and other concerned agencies. For example, wanted terrorists, missing kini lang sila ang pwde nga ma register sa system natin. In terms of data privacy wala tayong kunin na mga data sa mga individuals (In AI facial recognition, the system does not collect data from individuals. It only uses data provided by the PNP, Task Force, and other concerned agencies—for example, wanted persons or terrorists. Only these individuals can be registered in our system. In terms of data privacy, we do not collect any data from the general public.),” he said.
He said that upon entering terminals, the system will scan individuals to check if they are among the wanted or missing persons, or terrorists.
“Mag-scan yung system sa kanila kung nandoon sila sa database, kung wala, hindi na siya i-save sa database (The system will scan them to check if they are in the database; if they are not, it will not save them in the database),” Militar said.
Earlier, Militar said that the AI-powered facial recognition will be placed in all entry points in Davao City—in crowded areas, terminals, and the airport.
He said that the proposed system has a high accuracy level. Verification will also be done to make sure that the AI facial recognition is very accurate.
Militar added that additional CCTV cameras will be procured by the city for this program.
Davao City Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO) Head Angel Sumagaysay, in a previous interview, told reporters that the AI facial recognition system will be an additional tool for the city’s security.
He underscored that the AI facial recognition will be database-driven and will only target persons of interest.
Sumagaysay added that the system might be fully implemented by next year.
“Naka-ready na ang allocation for this purpose. We are hoping na ma-implement na siya dayon for the next year (The allocation for this purpose is ready. We are hoping that we can implement this next year),” he said. CIO
