SHATTERED. A car's windshield is wrecked after unidentified suspects threw a rock at it in an outskirts village in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday (March 12, 2025). The local business group has urged the city government to implement a Free Wi-Fi ordinance and adopt Artificial Intelligence in solving crimes. (Photo courtesy of Juancho Gallarde)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI) is urging the city government to implement an ordinance on free Wi-Fi and adopt the use of digital technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), to combat crimes.
NOCCI president Edward Du noted that while the measure was approved and signed in 2021, it has yet to be fully implemented.
“Having free Wi-Fi in key and strategic areas in the city, coupled with the novel and popular AI and the existing CCTV systems, these would definitely improve anti-crime efforts in the city,” Du said in an interview Thursday.
His statement came amid public clamor to respond to recent incidents of stoning vehicles by unidentified individuals, especially during nighttime and in secluded areas.
Residents took to social media to express their sentiments over the rock-throwing incidents, which they believe were not random.
The latest incidents occurred in the outskirt villages of Batinguel and Cadawinonan on Tuesday evening.
The windshields of these vehicles were shattered and one of the drivers suffered eye injury, a police report said.
Authorities remain clueless as to the suspects’ identity.
Du said incidents like these threaten many businesses and should be addressed by the local government and the police.
The city, he said, should consider merging the existing CCTV system, free Wi-Fi, and AI to get real-time data.
Not only will the police and other law enforcers benefit from these but also potential witnesses to a crime via videos or pictures taken by them, he added.
Under the free Wi-Fi ordinance, the Department of Information and Communications Technology will provide the free bandwidth while the local government counterpart will build the necessary infrastructure, he said. (PNA)
