Eleven turnstiles around campus will soon be operating in De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) as the Institutional Safety, Security, and Emergency Services Office (ISSESO) heightened its security measures, imposing stricter access to the campus buildings.
According to Michael Kasilag, ISSESO director, turnstiles installed in areas including CBEAM Building, Mabini Building, Diokno Building, Student Center, North Lounge, College Lobby, Side Gate and Capilla are set to be fully operational by the end of February.
Students raised concerns on the installation of turnstiles early in December, citing the possible inconvenience that may arise with their operation.
“Mas [magiging] hassle [ang turnstiles] sa students since madaming students dito sa school at mas magtatagal yung pagpasok ng students,” said Lorisse Espinili, a second-year multimedia arts student.
A first-year psychology student, Yussen Ablan, said that the turnstiles will be inconvenient, especially when there are emergencies like earthquakes.
“I think it’s not necessary to have it at every building because there are already so many guards at every entrance, so what are the turnstiles for?” Kim Vergara, a first-year accountancy student, added.
Kasilag however, cited that DLSL’s hosting of division and regional events makes it hard for them to ensure the security of students, Lasallian partners and school properties, prompting the need for tighter security.
“Marami tayong mga events like sports events at may division week pa tayo, so yung mixture kasi ng population natin at ng outsiders, for security purposes, mahirap siyang i-monitor,” Kasilag explained.
“We’re looking for around 13,000 na tao sa isang area,” Kasilag said, clarifying that the turnstile gates are expected to accommodate the projected capacity without causing congestion.
For persons with disabilities (PWDs) who use wheelchairs, Kasilag explained that each turnstile station has side gates open at all times which they can access and which can also be used for emergencies.
However, the turnstiles stationed near the Capilla do not have such a side gate.
“Dati kasi sinukat namin kasya yung wheelchairs doon. Nagkaroon lang ng kaunting adjustments pero nagrequest na kami na dapat may access talaga [ang PWDs], narequest na namin last year pa,” Kasilag explained.
Kasilag added that only the IDs of students and Lasallian partners registered and activated by the Information Communications and Technology Center (ICTC) shall be given access to turnstiles, prohibiting former students from using their old IDs in entering the campus.
Meanwhile, ISSESO is looking into the development of additional features for the turnstiles in the future which includes automated text messaging to track people’s locations.
