In case you missed it, President Marcos approved a 90-day extension or until July 25 of SIM registration to let an estimated 20 million more subscribers register their SIM cards.
SIM Registration deadline is extended!
To recall, the Republic Act 11934, often known as the SIM Registration Act, originally established April 26, 2023, deadline for the required registration of new and existing SIM cards.
According to Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, around 82 million SIM cards have been registered thus far. Moreover, 37 million of the 82 million registered SIMs are Globe subscribers, almost 39 million are Smart subscribers and more than 5 million to DITO subscribers.
At a press briefing held at Malacañang, Uy stated that they encourage our kababayans to make use of this extension to register their SIM cards.
While the deadline has been extended, Senator Grace Poe, principal sponsor of the law, urged for an increase in the dissemination of the Republic Act (RA) 11934 or the SIM Registration Act. She said that this extension may address the confusion and concerns of the registrants.
Poe also mentioned that since the majority of telcos have been making significant profits from their services, they have a duty and the resources necessary to find their SIM customers and increase the potential for registration.
Uy also mentioned that there are currently 168,016,400 active SIMs in the Philippines, 50 million of which are “disposable” or primarily used for telemarketing or scams. The National Telecommunications Commission and telecoms must both increase their efforts to reach out to rural and distant subscribers.
To urge subscribers to register their SIMs, Uy stated that the government is discussing with telecoms the idea of restricting subscribers’ access to social media sites such as Facebook and TikTok if they do not register within the first 60 days. The DICT is also thinking about restricting the ability to make or receive calls as the new deadline draws near.
So, if you haven’t registered your SIM yet, we strongly advise you to do so right now. Also encourage your family, relatives, or friends to register now.
