An ounce of prevention?

Anyone can finish this saying. But for the Philippine government, it seems this has no meaning at all. The norm is for something bad to happen first, before prevention is eventually considered.

 Most Philippine laws are like this. They have no power, no teeth, no enforcement until something bad happens, or until someone "important" is affected.

We’ve seen this so many times. The tragedies at sea, the speeding buses, the Ondoy and Pepeng calamities, the mismanagement of dams and more. All have existing laws that should guide the authorities and the public. But they only come to bear after tragedies have already struck. Suddenly, the laws are enforced, because a tragedy, or a crime has already occurred.

This is the same with the current concern regarding cellphone jammers. With the coming elections to be conducted via an automated counting system, where results are transmitted via radio waves similar to that of cellphones, jammers have become the latest concern of the Comelec.

The whole idea of automation is to make the whole process fast, thus greatly reducing the instances and opportunities to cheat. Any delay in transmitting data to the main database presents the possibility of cheating, or at least the perception that it is occurring.

The concern stems from a report that reached the Comelec that no less than five thousand jammers have recently entered the country.

Initially, jammers per se are not illegal. Reports indicate that the basic models are openly sold to the public, while the more sophisticated ones are being used by institutions such as the New Bilibid Prison.

The jammers prevent those inmates who are in possession of cellphones to continue conducting their criminal activities even while incarcerated. This is not uncommon as cellphones do find their way, albeit unauthorized, into the hands of the more sophisticated criminals.

Some churches are reportedly using jammers to prevent cellphones from disrupting masses and services.

But with the emerging possibility of these jammers disrupting communications during the elections, they are now saying that the sale of these devices was never authorized by the NTC.

Again, effect before action. If only that was made clear at the onset, that the sale of jammers is illegal, then the entry of five thousand of these disruptors would not have happened. And who is to benefit from a failure of elections?