BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO, JEN BAYLON & MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO City – The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) will be appealing to the Iloilo City Government to reconsider the denial of a mobile phone signal shutdown during the Dinagyang Festival.
PRO-6 director Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor said in a press conference yesterday that he would make an additional request to Mayor Jerry Treñas.
“I will submit my request to the mayor to reconsider the denial of signal shutdown, kasi this is a prevention sa mga criminals na gumawa na hindi maganda. Sa part namin, we are doing our best to have a peaceful festival because kapag walang signal, hindi makagawa ang mga criminal groups ng bad things,” Villaflor said, citing that the local chief executives in Aklan province have agreed to such in line with the Ati-Atihan Festival celebration.
He clarified that the intention is not continuous signal jamming, which could have adverse effects on the economy of the city.
Instead, the regional police proposes a focused, limited signals jamming during specific festival highlights.
“Hindi naman ‘yung continuous signal jamming, because we also know that the signal jamming will negatively affect the business establishments and other financial transactions sa Iloilo City,” Villafor reasoned.
If the city government denies their request, Villaflor further said the PRO-6 will notify the national headquarters in Camp Crame.
According to the region’s top cop, they have not received security threats so far.
But he noted that the police are not complacent about the situation, as all intelligence personnel and other government forces, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, conduct thorough monitoring of the movements of criminals.
City Government Bucks Signal Shutdown
In yesterday’s press conference, Treñas stood firm with his earlier statement that the city government will no longer implement a signal shutdown on Jan. 27 and 28.
The city councilors are also not in favor of shutting the mobile phone signal.
“Ang city council indi gid ya [signal jamming] kay amo to nga huol last year asta sa Oton, asta sa airport. I don’t think they’re [telecommunication companies] capable of doing a signal jam only in a specific place,” Trenas emphasized.
The city mayor earlier said there is no need for telecommunication companies to temporarily cut off mobile phone signals.
“Waay na signal jamming. Bantayan lang sang police ta. Ubrahon lang sang pulis ang ila obra,” Treñas said.
The mayor believes that the Iloilo City Police Office is capable enough to maintain peace and order without resorting to signal jamming.
This also stemmed from last year’s festival celebrations, when the supposed signal jamming only in specific areas of the city spilled over to other areas as far as Guimaras province and nearby Iloilo towns, stirring adverse reactions from the public./PN
