Comelec worried about cell phone jammers

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday expressed concern over the reported arrival in the country of some 5,000 jammers of mobile phone signals.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the presence of the jamming devices is a cause for alarm for poll officials since these could be used to block the electronic transmission of votes from polling precincts to canvassing centers on election day.

“When you’re talking about 5,000 units of the same thing and considering the proximity of the elections, then you cannot help but be suspicious at this stage… it is only prudent that we be suspicious,” Jimenez said.

The Comelec had received information that the jammers had been smuggled into the country three weeks ago.

The agency is now coordinating with the Bureau of Customs about the reported smuggling incident.

The May 10 automated polls would utilize the services of telecommunication companies in transmitting the counted votes from the polling precincts to the canvassing centers.

Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. had purchased 5,000 broadband global area network (BGAN) or satellite Internet network devices to be used to send the ballots in case the satellite signal fails.

Jimenez admitted that the loss of cellular phone signals is one of the possible problems that the Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM have been preparing for.

At present, the Comelec is set to investigate the two field tests it conducted in four schools in Pateros and Taguig City last week, which were marred by failure in transmission and failure of a unit precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine to read the ballots although they were described by the Comelec as generally successful.

Jimenez said jammers are not new and illegal in the Philippines. A jammer, however, could be blocked by another jamming device.

Asked if the Comelec has jammers to counter any effort to block the transmission of votes on election day, the official refused to comment.

“(It’s a) secret. What’s important is that these measures are available and that we have the means and, of course, the inclination to use them as needed,” he added.

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) had deployed intelligence teams to verify reports that 5,000 units of cellular telephone signal jammers have been smuggled into the country and might be already out in the market.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales yesterday instructed Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Intelligence Division (CIIS-ID) chief Dino Tuason to check the areas where these electronic devices might be sold.

Tuason said that even before the news broke out on the possible smuggling of these jamming devices, he already sent teams to Greenhills in San Juan. Yesterday, a team also went to Raon street in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

However, their search has so far yielded negative results. Tuason added, “I was told that these cellphone signal jammers are rarely sold in the market because these have limited end users.”

The intelligence agents also visited the store of a legitimate dealer, but it was closed yesterday.

The BOC also learned that the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has not issued any import permit for these units. –Sheila Crisostomo (The Philippine Star) with Evelyn Macairan