Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced on Tuesday – April 25,
2023 – that the registration for SIM cards will be extended by another 90
days, until July 25, 2023.
2023 – that the registration for SIM cards will be extended by another 90
days, until July 25, 2023.
However, subscribers who fail to register by the initial deadline of April 26,
2023 will have limited access to services until they finally register.
Remulla stated that most telecommunications companies will cut off their
services, resulting in social media unavailability for unregistered users.
services, resulting in social media unavailability for unregistered users.
Mobile consumers who won’t register their SIM Cards will have limited access to services. This limit will only be lifted upon registration on or before July 25, 2023.
In response to the extension, Senator Grace Poe called for improved
information dissemination of the SIM Registration Act (RA 11934) to eliminate
confusion and concerns among registrants.
information dissemination of the SIM Registration Act (RA 11934) to eliminate
confusion and concerns among registrants.
Senator Poe, the head of the Senate Committee on Public Services and sponsor
of the bill, welcomed the decision to extend the SIM registration period,
saying that it will help address the confusion and concerns of registrants
regarding the law.
of the bill, welcomed the decision to extend the SIM registration period,
saying that it will help address the confusion and concerns of registrants
regarding the law.
She emphasized that SIM cards will still be available in
local retailers and sari-sari stores even past the registration deadline,
but users must register before activating their new SIMs.
local retailers and sari-sari stores even past the registration deadline,
but users must register before activating their new SIMs.
She also noted that the purpose of SIM registration is to promote
responsible use and prevent scammers and criminals from abusing SIMs. It is
not meant to punish legitimate SIM subscribers, especially those living in
remote areas. She reminded that lawmakers had foreseen the need to extend
the registration period to accommodate all the more than 168 million SIM
subscribers when the bill was being deliberated.
responsible use and prevent scammers and criminals from abusing SIMs. It is
not meant to punish legitimate SIM subscribers, especially those living in
remote areas. She reminded that lawmakers had foreseen the need to extend
the registration period to accommodate all the more than 168 million SIM
subscribers when the bill was being deliberated.
According to the National Telecommunications Commission’s data as of April
23, 49.31 percent or 82,845,397 SIM cards have been registered. The
breakdown is as follows:
23, 49.31 percent or 82,845,397 SIM cards have been registered. The
breakdown is as follows:
DITO – 38.73 percent or 5,796,175
Globe – 42.77 percent or 37,099,437
SMART – 60.25 percent or 39,949,785
Poe emphasized the importance of telecom companies reaching out to more
subscribers by going to the grassroots level. She pointed out that since
these companies have been earning vast profits from their services, they
should have the necessary resources and obligation to track down their SIM
users and expand the opportunity for registration.
subscribers by going to the grassroots level. She pointed out that since
these companies have been earning vast profits from their services, they
should have the necessary resources and obligation to track down their SIM
users and expand the opportunity for registration.
While there have been efforts to conduct remote registration in some
locations, Poe noted that more areas need to be covered, particularly those
in key regions such as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao,
based on data from the NTC. Poe also urged the DICT to investigate the
continuing proliferation of spam messages despite the ongoing SIM
registration process.
Two days before the deadline for SIM card registration, the DICT and
related agencies held discussions with officials from the three public
telecommunications companies in the country: Globe, Smart, and DITO. The
purpose of the meeting was to address issues that registrants are facing,
such as difficulties in obtaining government-issued IDs and documents, and
to improve the SIM registration process.
DICT reiterated that only one of the 17 accepted government-issued IDs and documents is needed to proceed with the registration.
According to DICT, “The increasing number of registrants in the past few days is a clear indication that Filipinos share the desire to eradicate online and text scams once and for all.”
RA 11934, which was the first measure signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on October 10, 2022, aims to fight scams being made through text and online messages. On December 27, 2022, the 180-day SIM card registration began and was supposed to end on April 26, 2023.