DILG to Cordillera LGUs: Up SIM card registration info drive

Unregistered SIMS deactivation set 

By Pamela Mariz T. Geminiano 

BAGUIO CITY—The Dept. of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cordillera urged local government units (LGUs) in the region to assist the national government in its information campaign on implementation of Republic Act No.  11934, or Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act, which took effect last Dec. 27.
    "I urge all of our LCEs to make every effort to promote responsible SIM card use, educate their stakeholders on the benefits of mandatory SIM card registration, and guide them through the entire registration process," said DILG CAR regional director Araceli San Jose.
    Citing need for a comprehensive information campaign to be carried out at the grassroots level, LGUs should take the lead in educating the public on significance and requirements of the law.
    “We also seek the assistance of punong barangays in remote areas in setting up registration centers and assisting in processing needed documents and other requirements,” she said.
    San Jose said the SIM Registration Act will assist the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies in combating the country's rising electronic communication-aided criminal activities such as mobile phishing, text spam, online scams, bank frauds, and identity theft.
    Republic Act 11934 was signed into law by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
It aims to regulate registration and use of SIMs by mandating all end-users to register their SIMs with their respective telecommunications networks before their activation.
Section 4 of the National Telecommunications Commission's (NTC) implementing rules and regulations (IRR) states the DILG, along with other government agencies such as DICT, NTC, DepEd, and telecom companies, must "facilitate all SIM registrations in remote areas with limited telecommunication or internet access."
    “The DILG Cordillera together with LGUs will cooperate with DICT and the NTC to fast-track establishment of registration facilities in geographically-isolated areas, which should be done within 60 days after Dec. 27,” San Jose added.
     Subscribers must provide the following: full name, birthday, sex, address, mobile SIM number and serial number and valid identification cards (for individuals); business name, business address and full name of authorized signatory (for businesses and other juridical entities); full name, nationality, birthday, passport, proof of Philippine address, return ticket to own country (for foreigners and tourists).
     Based on the DICT statement, if there are still unregistered subscribers after 180 days, the DICT may order another 120-day extension.
    Following the extension, all unregistered SIM cards will be deactivated automatically.
     The term "deactivated state" refers to a SIM's condition or status that prevents it from being used for outgoing and incoming calls, internet access, or sending and receiving messages, with the exception of exclusively enabling and informing such a SIM to be registered. -- PMTG/DILG CAR