Council studies pay package for firemen, cops in special tasks

The city council has begun studying a possible compensation for policemen and firefighters who would have a special assignment under the proposed city's Mobile Alarm Remote System, or MARS.

The committee on laws, in last Wednesday's session, said the compensation issue should be tackled now because this would surely crop up once the council approves the ordinance establishing MARS in the city.

Councilor Augustus "Jun" Pe Jr. authored the proposed measure setting up this special alarm system that residents or businessmen in the city could avail of, via subscription, in reporting crime incidents directly to authorities.

Last April 28, Mayor Tomas Osmeña in behalf of the city government inked a memorandum of agreement with Uni-Ventures Magnetics Corporation for the purchase of MARS, as a major move in curbing crimes or in having a quick response system to emergencies.

With MARS, a single press of a button or a simple text message by a resident would transmit data to the main computer at the City Hall, which in turn set off the alarm to authorities that would quickly get to the area to put the situation under control.

Committee chairman, councilor Edgardo Labella, said policemen and firefighters assigned to the response unit of MARS might raise the compensation matter later on so the council should rather resolve this now.

Labella's panel also referred the MARS measure to the committee on budget and finance because it involved revenues from MARS subscribers.

There are two kinds of MARS subscription. The first level priority subscribers are the highly sensitive establishments such as banks, pawnshops and financial institutions. Others, aside from these establishments, are classified as second level priority subscribers.

To subscribe to MARS service, business establishments or individuals in the city should pay an initial P3,600 subscription fee (for first level priority) and P1,000 (for second level priority). MARS will then be activated within 24 hours after completion of the registration.

Under the proposed measure, the subscription fee shall be valid for one year and renewable every year upon payment of the corresponding subscription fees and which will be collected together with the renewal of their business permits. - Cristina C. Birondo