DoJ set to install 2 signal jammers inside NBP

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 26): DoJ set to install 2 signal jammers inside NBP

The Department of Justice (DoJ) is set to install the donated two signal jammers inside Building 14 at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.

DoJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II refused to reveal the identity of the Filipino who donated the two jammers from South Korea worth PHP2 million which is more than 10 times more powerful than the improvised jammer inside the Bilibid.

Engineers who will install the jammers said a tower type cellsite jammer is needed for the Maximum Security Prison.

Aguirre said it is important to cut inmates’ communication outside to stop illegal drug transactions.

Each jammer can cover 1,200 square meter area and both will be installed from both ends of Building 14.

Building 14 is a 1,200 square meter property within the NBP’s Maximum Security Compound. Its gate however is not accessible via the heavily guarded main entrance and has no access to the Maximum Security compound. Its gate is along the main road of the New Bilibid Prison leading to the Reception and Diagnostic Center and near the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Museum, formerly the lethal injection chamber.

The building currently houses 53 high profile inmates including Herbert “Ampang” Colangco, Jaybee Sebastian and Peter Co who allegedly still manages to continue drug operations despite incarceration.

But Aguirre said they still need to procure “more and bigger signal jammers’ to cover the entire NBP.

He said that without cellular phones, the illegal drugs trade in the NBP would be eradicated since mobile phones are the main communication devices used by convicted drug lords in going through their illegal activity.

Members of the Special Action Force (SAF) took over the security at the NBP’s maximum security compound in July this year. They still managed to seize almost 2,000 mobile phones and wifi devices.

The PNP-SAF contingent numbering more than 300 replaced the jail guards of the Bureau of Corrections in securing the maximum security compound where high-profile inmates are detained.
 
It will be recalled that upon his assumption to the top DOJ post, Aguirre called on supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte to help address the illegal drugs trade at the NBP by donating signal jammers.

He even said that they are looking at Israeli-made jammers to procure though he added it would cost more.

At present, Aguirre said the improvised signal jammers inside the maximum prison are not capable of jamming 3-G and LTE-equipped mobile phones.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=926297