Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
Go 'full blast' on SIM registration drive after Holy Week, House leader tells DICT, NTC
Philippines
National
Go 'full blast' on SIM registration drive after Holy Week, House leader tells DICT, NTC
Go 'full blast' on SIM registration drive after Holy Week, House leader tells DICT, NTC
Published Apr 5, 2023 08:40 am
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ought to go "full blast" after Holy Week on its campaign to remind Filipinos to have their SIM cards registered before the April 26 deadline.
(Unsplash)
Thus, said Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte, noting that the agencies should partner up with the concerned public telecommunications entities (PTEs). “The DICT and NTC need to work in tandem with the PTEs in going full-blast on their nationwide registration drives after Holy Week in a last-ditch joint effort to prod the owners of more than 100 million SIM cards that have yet to be recorded in the system to do so before the April 26 deadline,” said Villafuerte. “Otherwise," he said, "The government will have to extend the four-month deadline if it wants to record in the system as many numbers possible from the total SIM cards in the country whose owners have yet to register their SIMs." SIM stands for subscriber identity module (SIM). SIM cards are used on mobile phones to avail of network services. Villafuerte said the NTC and PTEs must set up more facilitated registration booths or assistance desks, especially in remote areas. The former three-term Camarines Sur governor said the NTC and PTEs have to get the support of local government units (LGUs to put up such registration booths in their respective localities. With just three weeks to go before the deadline, the NTC reported that an aggregate of 57.19 million SIM cards have been registered with the country's three PTEs. This is just 34 percent of the estimated 168.977 million SIM cards in use nationwide. Government officials believe, though, that owners of SIM cards that were used in cybercrimes have no intention of registering. This is the main purpose of the law. Villafuerte noted that RA No.11934 made it mandatory for subscribers to register their SIM cards from Dec. 26 up to April 26, after which all unregistered SIMs would be deactivated. However, the law also authorizes the DICT to extend the registration period by another 120 days or four months, if necessary.
(Unsplash)
Thus, said Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte, noting that the agencies should partner up with the concerned public telecommunications entities (PTEs). “The DICT and NTC need to work in tandem with the PTEs in going full-blast on their nationwide registration drives after Holy Week in a last-ditch joint effort to prod the owners of more than 100 million SIM cards that have yet to be recorded in the system to do so before the April 26 deadline,” said Villafuerte. “Otherwise," he said, "The government will have to extend the four-month deadline if it wants to record in the system as many numbers possible from the total SIM cards in the country whose owners have yet to register their SIMs." SIM stands for subscriber identity module (SIM). SIM cards are used on mobile phones to avail of network services. Villafuerte said the NTC and PTEs must set up more facilitated registration booths or assistance desks, especially in remote areas. The former three-term Camarines Sur governor said the NTC and PTEs have to get the support of local government units (LGUs to put up such registration booths in their respective localities. With just three weeks to go before the deadline, the NTC reported that an aggregate of 57.19 million SIM cards have been registered with the country's three PTEs. This is just 34 percent of the estimated 168.977 million SIM cards in use nationwide. Government officials believe, though, that owners of SIM cards that were used in cybercrimes have no intention of registering. This is the main purpose of the law. Villafuerte noted that RA No.11934 made it mandatory for subscribers to register their SIM cards from Dec. 26 up to April 26, after which all unregistered SIMs would be deactivated. However, the law also authorizes the DICT to extend the registration period by another 120 days or four months, if necessary.