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Cellphone signal shutdown during Sinulog approved

Cellphone signal shutdown during Sinulog approved

By Calvin Cordova CEBU CITY—The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has granted the request of the police to shut down cell phone communication during the major activities of Sinulog.

SOUVENIR-HUNTING – A stall on Osmeña Ave. in Cebu City offers a choice for images to be printed on t-shirts. Sales of Sinulog memorabilia are expected to surge as Cebu’s biggest festival gets under way. (Juan Carlo de Vela / MANILA BULLETIN)

SOUVENIR-HUNTING – A stall on Osmeña Ave. in Cebu City offers a choice for images to be printed on t-shirts. Sales of Sinulog memorabilia are expected to surge as Cebu’s biggest festival gets under way. (Juan Carlo de Vela / MANILA BULLETIN) In a memorandum dated Jan. 11, NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba ordered Smart Communication Inc., Globe Telecom Inc. and Digitel Mobile Philippines Inc. to shut off their cell sites during certain times on Jan. 19 and 20. |There will be no cellphone signal during the fluvial procession from 3 a.m to 10 a.m. on Jan. 19 in the cities of Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Cebu. The signal will be restored after the fluvial parade but the uptown and downtown areas of Cebu City will be without signal again from 12 noon to 8 p.m. for the solemn procession. During the Grand Parade on Jan. 20, there will be no signal in Cebu City from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. It was the Central Visayas police through deputy regional director Chief Supt. Dennis Agustin which requested for a shutdown of cell phone communication during the major Sinulog events. Agustin said cutting the signal is essential since cellphones could be used as a detonator for improvised explosive devices (IED). Security has been tight since the start of the Sinulog activities. Police are particularly strict in enforcing the ban on the carrying of backpacks when attending novena masses at the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño. Sr. Supt. Royina Garma, chief of the Cebu City police, said inspecting backpacks takes time and could be used by criminals to keep their contrabands.

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