Parañaque launches quick response system

Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez launched yesterday a new anti-crime system aimed at speeding up response time of law enforcement agencies and firefighters in Parañaque City.

Called the Mobile Alert Response Quick Unique and EZ to use (MARQUEZ), the new system is expected to become operational within the month.

Bobby Fonacier, president of Univentures and designer of the Mobile Alarm Response System (MARS) demonstrated how a distress text message could be received by MARS computers in less than fives seconds.

Marquez said police would no longer have any excuse, can no longer say that the call for help came too late or that they did not receive an emergency call, he said. "We would also know the speed of their response."

So far, the local government has registered 80 percent of the 127 banks in the city, schools, convenience stores, fastfood centers, malls and other establishments in the MARQUEZ databank.

To become a valid registrant, a person will have to sign in by giving his name, cellular phone number and address.

Marquez, however, said they are hesitant to openly divulge the four cellular phone numbers and the key letters that represent all types of emergency scenarios for security reasons.

They realized that by receiving emergency information only through text without verifying the identity of the sender could make them vulnerable to pranktexters.

"Only those who have gone through and passed our background check would be given information. The registrants would also have to sign a waiver," he said.

Fonacier pointed out that they could be victimized by a prankster the first time, but the sender’s cell phone number would eventually be blacklisted and his text messages would no longer be entertained .

Computer units, downloaded with the MARS software, would be distributed to the police and fire headquarters and to the city hall’s radio room for the proper dispatching of needed units.

Marquez said they would still have to conduct a dry run and set up the system in the said offices.

"We need further demonstrations of the system in each of the 16 barangays to encourage more businessmen to participate," he added. – Evelyn Macairan