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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Saturday, January 21, 2017
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ILOILO City – Telecommunication companies are shutting down their mobile phone services during the Dinagyang Festival today and tomorrow, citing public safety concerns.
The temporarily suspension of services is in compliance to the directive of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and Philippine National Police, according to the public advisories of Smart Communications, Inc. and Globe Telecom.
“We are temporarily suspending mobile phone services of Smart, TNT, and Sun on Jan. 21 (Saturday) and 22 (Sunday) at the main Dinagyang Festival activity and parade areas in Iloilo City,” read part of Smart’s advisory issued early last night.
Today is Dinagyang’s Kasadyahan cultural contest while tomorrow is the ati-ati tribes competition.
In several incidents in Mindanao, including the Davao City bombing in September last year, suspected terrorists detonated improvised explosive devices using cell phone signals.
For Smart, TNT and Sun, mobile phone services will specifically be suspended at Plaza Libertad, Freedom Grandstand, Iloilo provincial capitol; Mabini, Quezon, Iznart, and Rizal streets, Iloilo Business Park, Esplanade 1 and 2, The Atria, Plazuela de Iloilo and SM City Iloilo.
According to Smart, “nearby areas and surrounding municipalities may also be affected if mobile phone signals coming from cell sites servicing these places reach the main festival zones.”
For Globe, its signal will be blocked in the following locations from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
* Iloilo City Proper
* Mandurriao
* Jaro
* La Paz, and
* Bo. Obrero.
During this period, call, text and mobile data services will be unavailable, according to Globe.
Mobile phone services resume as soon as the telecommunication companies are given the go-signal by the authorities.
“We’ll give an update as soon as signal has been unblocked. Thank you for understanding,” Globe posted in its Twitter account early last night.
On the other hand, Smart’s advisory stated: “We shall provide further information as needed during the festival.” It appealed for the public’s patience.
On Thursday, the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) did not discount the possibility that cell phone signals may be jammed for security purposes during the Kasadhayan and ati-ati tribes competition.
According to Senior Superintendent Remus Zacharias Canieso, his office informed various telecommunications companies on the possibility of being asked to jam cell phone signals should there be a need for it.
“In case there’s a security threat, we can use our request with the telecommunications companies,” said Canieso.
But Canieso emphasized the ICPO has not monitored any credible threat so far.
In recent years, spectators were observed to record Dinagyang events in their mobile phones and tablet computers and upload them right away in their social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, among others. This needed cell phone signal.
“Let us pray nga safe kita tanan. Buloligan naton ini kay aton ini tanan. We offer this activity to Señor Santo Niño,” said Canieso.
In a recent interview, ICPO spokesperson Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines said there was no plan to jam cell phone signals this Saturday and Sunday.
“Some sectors here may have expressed concern about it perhaps due to the recent Black Nazarene feast security measures in Manila. But no, we don’t even have the equipment to jam cell phone signals,” she added./PN
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