ILOILO – A total of 991 subscriber identity modules (SIMs) were successfully registered during the first facilitated SIM registration of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) 6 in Carles, Iloilo, on Jan. 27.
NTC 6 legal officer Atty. Deo Virgil Tan said the registration process became swift, with the assistance of personnel from public telecommunications entities (PTEs) such as Smart. For every subscriber, the process only took five to 10 minutes.
“A total of 991 SIMs were registered sa Carles, [and] zero results for unregistered. Kay iban abi may report nga waay nag-successful registration, pero sa Carles tanan nga tawo nga nagkadto didto successful ang registration,” Tan told Panay News this Sunday, Jan. 29.
Only personnel from PTEs assisted the subscribers to ensure the privacy of their data.
Subscribers are only required to bring their SIM card, mobile phone (does not need to be a smartphone), and any valid government-issued identification (ID) cards or other similar forms of documents with photos that will verify the identity of the end-user, such as passport, Philippine Identification Card, Social Security Service, Government Service Insurance System e-card, Driver’s License, National Bureau of Investigation clearance, Police clearance, Firearms’ License to Own and Possess ID, Professional Regulation Commission ID, Integrated Bar of the Philippines ID, Overseas Workers Welfare Development ID, Bureau of Internal Revenue ID, Voter’s ID, Senior Citizens ID, and among other valid government-issued ID with photo.
Carles was chosen as a pilot location in the region because of the limited number of cell sites in the town, its large population, and the presence of geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and island villages.
After Carles, the NTC 6 will be at the covered gymnasiums of the municipalities of Madalag, Aklan on Feb. 2, and Lemery, Iloilo on Feb. 3.
Tan clarified that the facilitated SIM registration is also open to all residents of nearby towns.
Aside from the PTEs, also present during the facilitation of SIM registration were the Philippine National Police, the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
This activity is pursuant to Republic Act No. (R.A.) 11934, also known as the SIM Card Registration Act. It provides for a 180-day registration period for SIM cards, which began on Dec. 27, 2022, and was supposed to end on June 27, 2023.
“All existing SIM subscribers/end-users shall register within one hundred eighty (180) days from the effectivity of the act. The registration may be extended for a period not exceeding one hundred twenty (120) days. Failure to register the existing SIM within the period prescribed shall result in the automatic deactivation of the SIM. The deactivated SIM may only be reactivated after registration; provided, however, that reactivation shall be made not later than five (5) days after such automatic deactivation,” read Section 5 (Registration of Existing Subscribers) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations for R.A. 11934.
“Deactivated state” refers to the status of a SIM, rendering it incapable of being used for outgoing and incoming calls, internet access, or sending and receiving messages, except for exclusively enabling and informing such a SIM to be registered./PN
