Monday, September 17, 2007

Cebu City council goes hi-tech

Cebu City, Philippines (13 September)—The Cebu City Sanggunian Panglungsod (SP) wants to get the P4-million worth of a “state-of-the art” sound and video system for the newly renovated legislative (session) hall.

Cebu City Vice-Mayor and SP presiding officer Michael Rama said, “it’s about time for Cebu City to go high-tech by acquiring a ‘state-of-the-art’ equipment that is sophisticated, long lasting and is globally competitive that befits a highly urbanized city like Cebu!”

Rama explains, the system is called a Digital Congress Network Sound and Video System (DCNCVS) that has tele and video conferencing features.

To understand the system, the Cebu City Council (in one of its sessions) invited possible suppliers –Datavox, Microdata Systems & Management Inc., Yupangco and Cebu Appliance Center for product presentations.

The equipment is described as a state-of-the-art tele/video conferencing sound system that will be set up at the session hall where each councilor is provided with a portable or flush mount microphone that is equipped with voting, agenda handling and messaging features and the VM’s unit comes with an LCD monitor.

For those councilors who have difficulty in the English language, the system is also capable of translating 35 or more languages, thus convenient for everyone.

According to the presentations, some cables and accessories are hooked up to the telephones, internet and cable TV allowing the proceedings or sessions to be viewed by those who are not in the session hall thus councilors who are sick or out of town can still participate in the discussion and voting certain resolutions and or ordinances.

“They wouldn’t have any excuse of missing the deliberations and voting in regular sessions,” Rama commented.

The public too in their homes through cable TV, internet or telephones can already participate, ask questions or even watch their councilors in deep and serious discussions on ordinances, resolutions and their advocacies, the suppliers said.

With this SOA sound and video system, voting, recording, agenda preparation and even attending sessions become very convenient for the council and the secretariat as well. (PIA-Cebu/MBCN)

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