ILOILO City – The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) encourages mobile phone subscribers in Western Visayas to register their SIM cards beginning Dec. 27 to avoid these getting deactivated.
According to Engr. Leah Dela Cruz-Doromal, officer-in-charge regional director of NTC-6, the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act (RA) No. 11934 or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act were released just this Dec. 12.
Subscribers will have 180 days starting Dec. 27 to register their SIM.
If there are still many unregistered subscribers once the 180 days lapsed, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) may order an extension for another 120 days.
After the extension, all unregistered SIM cards will be automatically deactivated.
As a last option, the NTC and DICT will grant a five-day grace period before permanent deactivation.
“Yes, ma-automatic sia deactivate. But may chance pa nga ma-activate within five days. So, dapat magpa-reactivate sila within five days paagi sa pagpa-register,” explained Doromal in an interview with Panay News on Friday morning, Dec. 16.
“Deactivated state” refers to the condition or status of a SIM that renders 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.
WHERE TO REGISTER?
Doromal said the Public Telecommunications Entity or PTEs (or commonly known as telecommunication companies like Globe, Smart and Dito) starting Dec. 27 will provide an online platform or link where their concerned subscribers can register.
The said online platforms must be user-friendly and accessible to all subscribers for ease of registration.
Here are the data and information required to be filled in on the registration form:
For individual (natural person) end-users
* Full name
* Date of birth
* Sex
* Present/official address (choice by end-user)
* Type of ID presented; and
* ID number presented
For juridical entity end-users
* Business name
* Business address
* Full name of authorized signatory
For foreign national end-users
* Full name
* Nationality
* Date of birth
* Passport
* Address in the Philippines
* ID Number or Number of Document Presented
Meanwhile, these are the valid government-issued identification (ID) cards or other similar forms of documents with a photo needed to verify the identity of the end-user: 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, Voters’ ID, and Senior Citizens’ ID, among others.
Only one valid government-issued ID is needed for the registration form, the NTC-6 OIC regional director clarified.
For a minor end-user, the registration of a SIM shall be under the name of the parent or guardian, and all of the following shall be presented:
* Any of the identification cards identified
* Consent of the minor’s parent or guardian to register the SIM
For remote areas without or with poor signal, Doromal said that the NTC, DICT and PTEs, in coordination with concerned local government units (LGUs), are looking into the option of them visiting remote areas to provide registration forms.
Doromal assures the general public that all information submitted by subscribers to PTEs will remain confidential and private.
PENALTIES
For breach of confidentiality:
For PTEs breaching confidentiality, “a fine of not less than five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000) but not more than four million pesos (P4,000,000) shall be imposed upon PTEs, its agents, or its employees who shall directly or indirectly reveal or disclose any information or data of an end-user obtained during the registration requirement under the act, unless otherwise permitted by the Act or other laws.”
For breach of confidentiality due to negligence:
A fine of not less than P500,000 but not more than P4 million shall be imposed upon PTEs, its agents, or its employees who, due to negligence, shall reveal or disclose any information or data of an end-user obtained during the registration requirement under the act.
For subscribers who provided false or fictitious information or for using fictitious identities or fraudulent identification documents to register SIM:
The penalty of imprisonment ranging from six months to two years or a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P300,000, or both, shall be imposed upon anyone who provides false or fictitious information or who uses a fictitious identity or fraudulent identification documents to register a SIM.
“Halimbawa kon sala ang ila information nga ginhatag, sala ang ID nga hatag, so that’s why may ara sila nga penalty,” said Doromal.
For failure or refusal to register a SIM:
The following fines shall be imposed upon the PTEs who shall fail or refuse to register a SIM without a valid reason, despite compliance by the end-user with the requirements for SIM registration under the act.
* First offense – a fine of not less than P100,000 but not more than P300,000
* Second offense – a fine of not less than P300,000 but not more than P500,000
* Third and subsequent offenses – a fine of not less than P500,000 but not more than P1 million for every offense thereof.
Because of these, Doromal highly encourages subscribers to register their SIM card, especially with the rampant scam incidents nowadays.
“Maayo gid nga mapa-register ang SIM card kay makaiwas kita sa mga scam nga nagakatabo subong sa aton nga kadamo-damo na and one is for the protection or for our safety,” she added.
The NTC-6 OIC regional director also reminds that there is no limitation as to the number of SIM cards per user; all of them should still be registered.
“Wala kita limitasyon kon pila man ang SIM card nga gina-uyatan sang individual, importante makapa-rehistro gid sang tanan nga SIM,” Doromal added./PN
