No signal jamming during Dinagyang

ILOILO CITY: There will be no jamming of cellular phone signals during the major activities of the Dinagyang Festival on January 27 and 28.

This decision comes after the City Council, in its regular session on Wednesday, January 24, denied the request of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) to implement a shutdown of mobile network signals in specific areas of the city.

“The committee recommends the disapproval of the request of the PRO-6 for the shutdown of cellular network services in certain areas in Iloilo City,” said Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna, who chairs the committee on public safety.

The PRO-6 had requested the city government to impose signal jamming, specifically in the four judging areas for the performances of the Ati-atihan tribes competition.

The judging areas include the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, Iloilo Provincial Capitol, Mabini or Delgado Street, and Quezon or Ledesma Street.

Cabaluna said that a modified or area-specific signal jamming during the Dinagyang Festival is “not possible for lack of equipment to implement it.”

He added that the lack of signal jammer devices would prompt the National Telecommunications Commission to direct the telecommunication companies to deactivate their cellular sites.

“[A shutdown] could also mean disabling all communication platforms, transactions and services relying on cellular network services in a widespread area. It would have adverse effects on business, livelihood and connectivity, emergency response and even public safety and security as well,” he said.

It can be recalled that the mobile phone signal shutdown during the 2023 edition of the Dinagyang Festival has reportedly affected the city’s neighboring towns, including Oton, Pavia, Cabatuan, and the island province of Guimaras.

To ensure a safe and peaceful Dinagyang Festival, Cabaluna has urged the PRO-6 and other law enforcement agencies to employ heightened intelligence operations and intensified border-to-border monitoring.

City Mayor Jerry Treñas has previously said that signal jamming is not necessary, emphasizing that Iloilo City is “safe and peaceful.”