The number of registered SIM cards in the Philippines has breached 52 million, said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), 30 days before the mandatory measure ends.

Based on the latest tally issued by the DICT, there are now 52,380,146 registrants nationwide.

“The month-long countdown to the SIM Registration deadline has begun, and we strongly encourage unregistered citizens to register their SIMs as soon as possible," said DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo in a press statement on Monday, March 27.

This more than 50 million registered SIMs is only equivalent to at least 30.23 percent of the existing 168,977,773 cards in the Philippines. But the DICT considers this an achievement and attributes this progress to the public’s “high compliance.”

"The high compliance rate is a testament to the cooperation of the public, and we want to thank everyone who has already registered. However, we must continue to work together to ensure that all SIMs are registered to safeguard our personal information and promote a safer digital environment," Lamentillo furthered.

In an interview over CNN Philippines on Monday, Lamentillo stressed that they are “not expecting that there would be 100 percent SIM registration,” noting that cards used for spam, scam, and other cybercrimes might be voluntarily deactivated by its users.

The mandatory registration will end on April 26, 2023. Under the SIM Registration’s Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), the DICT has the prerogative to extend the deadline, but Lamentillo said they are still “deliberating” whether to extend it or not.