LONGER TIME | SIM registration extended by 90 days, says DOJ

April 25, 2023 , 01:54 PM

By Beatrice Puente

(April 25, 2023) – Filipinos have more time to register their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards after the government agreed to extend the deadline by 90 days, the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed on Tuesday.

DOJ secretary Boying Remulla made the announcement a day before the original deadline for SIM card registration on April 26, setting the new deadline on July 25. He mentioned this during an inter-agency task force meeting about the oil spill in Mindoro.

According to media reports, the Department of Information and Communications Technology will hold a separate media conference on the matter following its meeting with President Bongbong Marcos Jr.

Figures provided by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed that around 82.845 SIM cards have already been registered, but this only corresponds to less than half of the target.

“Parang naghahabol sa huli talaga ‘yung mga gustong magpa-register. Tinitingnan natin ‘yung rate of registration and issues surrounding why subscribers could not or do not want to register,” said Salvahan on One PH’s Sa Totoo Lang.

Sen. Grace Poe, who heads the panel on public services, welcomed the extension to allow more people to register their SIM cards.

“Both NTC and telcos must double their efforts in reaching out to subscribers in rural and remote areas. While a number of locations have been visited for remote registration, a lot more ground needs to be covered as key areas have yet to be reached,” said Poe in a statement.

Over the weekend, progressive organizations repeated calls to postpone the deadline for SIM card registration, noting that farmers, fisherfolk, and other people from rural areas will be left behind.

Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) pointed out that location, accessibility, and weak signal are among the factors that hamper fisherfolk communities from signing up. If they lose access to their SIM cards, their livelihood will be heavily affected, added Pamalakaya.

“Fishers are at a disadvantage in the SIM registration process, as most of them reside in far-flung coastal areas with poor network services. If the deadline pushes through, this will disenfranchise a large number of fishers in remote coastal areas,” said Pamalakaya spokesperson Ronnel Arambulo.

The three major telecommunication players in the country—Smart, Globe, and DITO—backed calls for the extension of SIM card registration, recognizing that more users who must be reached to avoid deactivation of their accounts.

Signed last year, the SIM Registration Act seeks to “provide law enforcement agencies the tools to resolve crimes which involve its utilization and a platform to deter the commission of wrongdoings.”

But concerned groups filed a petition that questioned the constitutionality of the law before the Supreme Court.

(PM)

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