Melo: Jammers no cause for alarm

MANILA, Philippines - There is no way that jamming devices could disrupt the holding of elections on May 10, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo said yesterday.

Melo said there are not enough jamming devices that could interfere with the transmission of voting results.

Melo told reporters that the so-called cell phone signal jamming devices are expensive and not everyone could afford them just to ruin this year’s vote.

“Our machines, right after voting, would immediately generate the first eight copies, then additional 22 copies to complete the 30 (copies) required. Even if you jammed (the transmission), we already have the evidence of the votes counted,” he said.

Melo said disrupting the transmission is not worth the effort since it does not give an assurance that those behind the move would emerge the winner.

“You’ll use jamming devices and yet, you don’t know if the results will favor you,” he said.

The Comelec is now coordinating with the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) and Bureau of Customs to investigate reports that some 5,000 jamming devices had been smuggled into the country.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez refused to reveal the source of the information but said they have called on the NTC to have companies with jamming devices register in the open.

“We can ask owners and operators of these jammers to register their devices before election day so that we know exactly where they are on election day and what they will be used for,” he said.

A signal jammer is a device often used by law enforcement agencies to disrupt radio signals between cell sites and mobile phones.

They block a radio-operated device, such as a cell phone, and prevent it from sending a signal to trigger an explosive device.

Jimenez stressed the jamming device has its legal purpose.

“It is common knowledge that people use these jammers for a variety of lawful applications. It is like the gun ban, if you are a law-abiding citizen then you will register it. If you’re not, then obviously the gun ban does not mean anything to you. It is one of the measures that we will undertake to make sure that on election day, the jammers that we know about are accounted for,” Jimenez said.

Concerns

Malacañang, on the other hand, expressed concern over the smuggling of thousands of signal jammers.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said Malacañang is hoping that such reports are false even as authorities are verifying if indeed the signal jammers were smuggled into the country.

“The government is ready to help the Comelec on this matter. We are not taking this threat lightly,” Olivar said.

While the reports are not yet considered a national security issue, Olivar said “it’s certain something like that would rise to the level of the highest priority national interest.”

“What we do not take seriously is the absurd speculation that all of this somehow has something to do with the administration and some nefarious concocted conspiracy for which no evidence has ever been adduced and no purpose has ever been offered, and no rhyme or reason has ever been advanced,” he said.

“It’s still a developing story so let’s be on top of this,” Olivar said.

Lawmakers led by Speaker Prospero Nograles called on the Comelec to identify the people behind the smuggling of the cell phone signal jammers.

“If the Comelec has any information on this, then they should tell us who they are. These things don’t fall from the sky. We have to alert our law enforcement agencies on this,” Nograles said.

Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, for his part, warned Comelec would end up helpless in preventing possible sabotage of the May elections with the spread of the jammers.

“These cheap handheld cell phone jamming devices are even sold online and for relatively cheap prices,” Ocampo pointed out.

“(The) most basic type for pranksters sell for $79. A professional device costs $219. If the modus operandi is to completely disrupt the polls to justify the declaration of a failure of elections, all that’s needed is P18 million to P50 million for 5,000 units,” he said.

Militant groups claimed “some very powerful interest groups” are behind the reported smuggling of the high tech devices.

Without mentioning any names, Renato Reyes of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said the people behind the reported smuggling of signal jammers “have a lot of money and would want to undertake massive cheating or push the failure of elections.”

“Not many people can afford such a huge shipment of cell phone jamming devices. At $300 per piece, 5,000 pieces would amount to $1.5 million or some P69 million. That’s a huge amount of money. Who would have the means and motive to make such procurement?” Reyes said.

Reyes urged the Bureau of Customs and the NTC to unmask the buyers of these equipment, “even those coming from government.”

“The magnitude of the procurement seems to indicate that the buyer may not simply be a private entity,” he said.

Plan B

With the threat of cell phone jammers now entering the picture, Bayan said the Comelec and Smartmatic might not have enough transmission options on election day.

The group noted the admission of Comelec director and spokesman James Jimenez that Smartmatic has only procured 5,000 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) satellite devices. These tools will be used as an option in case transmission of election results through cell sites fails, like in one Comelec field test where there was failure to transmit results through GSM.

Bayan further quoted Jimenez as saying during a voters’ forum at the House of Representatives that Smartmatic is trying to procure additional satellite devices in time for election day. Some 80,000 polling precincts are anticipated to use the new automated election system.

But Reyes said the 5,000 BGAN devices might not be enough to thwart “a massive attack” on the system by cell phone jammers.

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, vice presidential candidate of the United Opposition (UNO), claimed the smuggling of the jamming devices is part of the plot to create conditions for a failure of elections.

“While the Comelec says that they still have the alternative of satellite transmission, I believe the poll body should not be complacent. If these election cheats saw the opportunity to disrupt the transmission of votes through cell phone jammers, I am sure they are looking for ways to disrupt satellite transmissions as well,” Binay said.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday urged the Comelec to prepare a fallback position in the event that cell phone signal jammer devices would be used to block the electronic transmission of votes.

Media Office director Monsignor Pedro Quitorio III reiterated the CBCP statement calling on the Comelec to prepare for a fallback position in the event there are technical and logistical glitches.

“The news about the jamming... this is a serious problem,” Quitorio said.

Quitorio suggested to the Comelec to revert back to manual counting and transmit the results later by satellite. -With Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla, Katherine Adraneda, Evelyn Macairan