By NITZ ARANCON
THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has approved the request to temporarily cut off all mobile phone signals in many parts of the city during the Black Nazarene procession tomorrow morning.
The approval was made by NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba who acted to city hall’s and Camp Crame’s requests for it to direct telecommunications companies to cut off cellphone signals as part of the Traslacion security measures in the city.
The procession is expected to draw thousands of Roman Catholic devotees to the city proper in time for a morning procession.
NTC regional director Teodoro Buenavista said the mobile phone signals would be cut off for at least four hours or from 4 am to 8 am.
Buenavista said the mobile phone signals would be affected even in areas away from the procession route because the order would affect the cell sites of telecommunications companies.
“Pananglitan, ang cell site sa Divisoria na-a sa Bulua, lakip tong ang mga lugar nga palibot sa Bulua, Patag, Carmen, ug uban pang lugar nga covered sa cell site walay signal,” Buenavista explained.
City police director Senior Supt. Nelson Aganon earlier requested Mayor Oscar Moreno to ask NTC to order telecommunications companies to cut off the signals during the procession over fears that terrorists could use the signals to explode bombs.
