The government is considering jamming mobile phone signals inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City to prevent drug lord-inmates from discreetly communicating their drug-related activities inside the national penitentiary.

This was revealed by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on the sidelines of the launch of the "Justice Zone" project of the Justice Sector Coordonating Council in Quezon City on Friday.

"Isa sa mabilis (na paraan) ay cell site blanketing (kung saan) hindi aandar ang mga cellphone sa paligid ng NBP," said Roxas.

Roxas said there is currently an available technology for the government to carry out the blanketing. "Handa kami sa PNP... para hindi mapatakbo ng convicted (drug lords ang illegal activities inside)," he said.

Roxas said investigative and intelligence reports gathered by the Department of Interior and Local Government and its attached agencies have confirmed the presence of syndicates inside the NBP that operate drug and carnapping-related activities.

For her part, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who led the Justice Zone launch, said the JSCC would be coming out with a "consolidated position" to address the drug problem inaide the NBP.

Saying the JSCC is "very sensitive to the impact" of the illegal drug trade at the facility, Sereno assured the public that authorities are meeting at least once a month to come up with ways to prioritize and address the problem.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, meanwhile, said she is thinking of holding a national drug summit to come up with a "focused approach" from the justice sector. The Justice secretary also attended the launch.

To operate their illegal drug trade activities even they are detained, the drug lord-inmates have laptops, Internet connection, and cellphones in their hotel-like cells, an anonymous NBP prison guard was quoted as earlier saying in a 24 Oras report.

De Lima earlier said the DOJ has already sought the help of the military and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to locate a suppised shabu laboratory inside the NBP.(from GMA news)