ILOILO City – Alarmed by a surge of bomb threats targeting schools – and possibly other public establishments – the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) is weighing the use of telecommunications signal jamming as a drastic but necessary security measure should the threats persist in the crucial weeks leading up to the Dinagyang Festival 2026.
ICPO director Police Colonel Kim Legada said authorities are now preparing for the possibility that the threats may continue into December and January — the period when thousands of visitors are expected to pour into Iloilo City for the annual festival.
When asked whether countermeasures such as signal jamming were being lined up, Legada confirmed that the option is already under study.
“Yes, that’s one of our measures,” he said. “But ang amon gid ‘ya dapat nga himuon is to really assess the situation because this is a very unfortunate event nga sige kita kapati sa sini nga ginapangubra nila just to disrupt this kind of big events.”
Legada noted that the timing of the threats — only months before one of the country’s most high-profile cultural celebrations — heightens the urgency of police operations to identify those behind the disruptions.
“That’s why subong pa lang, we have to really put an end to this,” he stressed. “Dapat ma-identify ta ini ang mga suspetsado.”
If implemented, signal jamming would join a broader set of heightened security interventions for Dinagyang 2026, including reinforced checkpoints, expanded police deployment, and tighter coordination with telecommunications companies and festival organizers.
Legada also assured the public that ICPO is committed to securing all festival venues and activities as investigations into the bomb threats continue.
The Dinagyang Festival, scheduled for January 2026, is projected to attract massive crowds for its religious activities, cultural performances, and food events — making security preparations more critical than ever./PN
