A survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in the second quarter of 2023 bared that 70 percent of Filipinos closely followed the news about SIM registration, making it the most followed story among a list of 14 news events.

This compares to 68 percent in the first quarter of 2023, according to the SWS survey results released on Friday, July 28.

Under the Republic Act 11934, also known as the SIM Registration Act of 2022, all SIM card owners must register their SIM cards before using them for mobile internet, calls, or texts. 

The SIM registration ended on July 25.

(Photo courtesy of Unsplash)

Meanwhile, the second most followed news event was the massive fire that destroyed the Manila Central Post Office (51 percent) on May 21.

The other most followed events include President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s official travels or state visits (45 percent), Filipino athletes at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia (45 percent), NBA basketball finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat (44 percent), sinking of MT Princess Empress, which caused a massive oil spill (44 percent), and the placement of buoys by the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea (43 percent).

The rest of news events tested in the second quarter survey were the refugee crisis in Ukraine or Ukrainians fleeing to other countries (34 percent), acquittal of former Senator Leila de Lima in two of the three drug cases filed against her (34 percent), Kasangga Joint Exercise or joint military exercises between the Philippines and Australia (33 percent), establishment of the Maharlika Wealth Fund (32 percent), expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA (32 percent), floods that ravaged several African countries (32 percent), and the coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla as king and queen of the United Kingdom (25 percent).

The Second Quarter 2023 SWS survey was conducted from June 28 to July 1, using face-to-face interviews of 1,500 adults nationwide.