Radio handlers warned vs unauthorized communication

To ensure that Sinulog organizers and law enforcers will have ample communication lines during the Sinulog 2018 festivities, amateur radio groups will again be tapped by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to assist the different sectors involved in staging Cebu’s grandest event.
Sinulog Executive Committee Chairperson, Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak said that the amateur radio groups will serve as secondary communication tool to augment the existing radio devices of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection, Department of Health and Sinulog committee members.

Tumulak urged handheld radio users with unregistered devices to refrain from using them during Sinulog week or face the confiscation of their units by PNP,

The unregistered devices, Tumulak said, will then be turned over to the NTC.

In a meeting held yesterday, organizers agreed to require private radio handlers to wear their NTC identification cards from January 11 up to the Sinulog grand parade to avoid the confiscation of their units.

Policemen and members of other law enforcement agencies assigned a radio communication device must also wear their government IDs at all times, said Tumulak.

The move is part of added security measures for Sinulog as handheld radios could also trigger the detonation of explosives.

Tighter security measures will be implemented this year amid fears that terror groups continue to operate in southern Philippines.

Authorities are mulling the possibility of again shutting down cellular signals during the Sinulog Grand Parade; however, no final decision on the matter has been reached yet.

“It depends on the information from our intelligence community. If there really is a threat, it is up to the PNP to recommend the signal jamming,” said Tumulak.

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) system will be set up in key areas in the city.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has started to repaint traffic signs and patch dilapidated roads which will be part of the procession and parade routes.