Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Phone jammers to be used vs human traffickers

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will put in place cell phone jammers at immigration zones in airports in order to immobilize human traffickers.

Syndicates make use of mobile phones in communicating with their cohorts and victims.

In a press release, Immigration Officer-In-Charge Ronaldo Ledesma said the necessary equipments are now in place at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

There are currently 4 jammers and a server at the immigration zone there, costing around P400,000.

The equipments were bought during the previous administration. The BI had to stop using them due to protests from airline companies and other airport stakeholders.

A permit is needed from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for their re-activation. BI property section chief John Tugade said he has already applied for a permit with the NTC.

Ledesma said similar jammers will be installed in other international airports in the country once the bureau gets the necessary budget.

“These cellphone jammers will definitely go a long way in bolstering our fight against human traffickers,” Ledesma said.

Reactivating the jammers is one of several measures that the BI and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) have adopted in its fight against human trafficking.

Ledesma also announced 3 weeks ago the adoption of the so-called “S-line” queuing system for all arriving and departing passengers at the NAIA and other airports to prevent collusion among human traffickers and rogue immigration personnel.

The “S-line” aims to prevent international passengers from choosing which immigration counter to line up to process their travel documents.

Posted via email from Aviation Professionals dot Org

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