Coping with the cell sites shutdown

The shutdown of some cell sites as part of efforts to secure today’s fluvial and solemn processions and tomorrow’s Sinulog Grand Parade has been announced. So for the most part of today and tomorrow, people in the affected areas (Cebu City and neighboring places) are deprived of the use of their cell phones and could not access some automated teller machines (those that use SIM).

People whose daily activities are tied to the use of these gadgets and machines would be inconvenienced, but only for a short time. So they should adjust accordingly. On this, it would help that the period and the areas affected have been announced in advance.

The first thing to do would be for families to map out alternative modes of communication. The landline is still available, for example, so its use should be maximized. Those who don’t have landlines may have to get the numbers of the neighbors who do just in case emergencies happen when cell sites are off. Those who are out on the streets should note the houses or sites where landlines are available, again just in case.

Note also that while mobile internet is down, wired internet is still available. One can still communicate, say, from an internet cafe to a home PC through social media sites, by chatting, emailing and even making phone calls. That means family members being conscious of the location of internet cafes when they are out on the streets is also good.

The advice for family members to set a place and hour to meet when they disperse during such events as the solemn procession and the grand parade should also be noted. And this is the time when family members should not lose sight of each other when in a mass gathering.

As for the ATM, it would have been good if one had prior knowledge of the location of machines that are SIM-operated. But lacking that, one has enough window (the time when cell sites are up) to prepare. One can simply withdraw money in advance enough to tide one over the shutdown period.

There are other creative ways to go around the shutdown. The key there is awareness and common sense. Perhaps, this is one positive aspect of the cell sites shutdown: we are forced to cope and to learn from the experience.