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Egay Uy .

MOBILE phone users were figuratively up in arms since on Saturday when cellular phone signals were jammed.  Many of us immediately thought our lines were disconnected. I, for one, wanted to rush to my provider’s office to demand a reconnection because I have not been remiss in my payments.

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I drove my wife Juliet to one of the hotels along Vicente Roa street in the early evening of Saturday because she was going to attend her Mogchs Class 1973 class reunion.  Fearing that the phone signal will not be reactivated at the time of need, we agreed that I would fetch her back at 10 o’clock in the evening.

Back at home, it was only after I opened my Facebook account that I realized that the phone signal was deliberately interrupted not only by my service provider but by all networks in view of the order of the National Telecommunications Commission.

Then the phone signal was interrupted again at certain hours on Sunday and on Monday. I will not question the wisdom of the signal interruption. I trust the authorities had enough reasons for that which could have led Mayor Oscar Moreno to send a request to the NTC for the signal interruption.

At one point, the phone signal interruption was a reminder that we need to talk with one another in person; that we need to personally air our minds rather than tinker with the alphabets on our cellular phone screens or keypads. It has become a common sight of a group of people sitting in one dining table in restaurants tinkering with their cellular phones instead of talking to each other.

The reaction of the public to the phone signal interruption will definitely serve as inputs to future signal interruptions. Probably next time around, it would be possible for the mobile phone companies to jam signals only in specific areas covered by events where crowds converge.

The signal interruption was surely part of the security measures implemented by the authorities to keep fiesta revellers safe.

Then again, it is better to be overprepared to keep people secure than be sorry. And safety should not be sacrificed for convenience.

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