The Department of the Interior and Local Government Cordillera has called local government units in the region to assist the national government in its information campaign on the implementation of Republic Act 11934, or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act, which takes effect this Dec. 27.
“I urge all of our local chief executives 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,” DILG Regional Director Araceli San Jose said.
Underscoring the need for a comprehensive information campaign to be carried out at the grassroots level, San Jose said LGUs should take the lead in educating the public on the significance and requirements of the law.
She also sought the assistance of barangay officials in setting up registration centers and assist in the processing of documents and other requirements, especially in remote areas.
Among others, the SIM Registration Act was passed to assist the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies in combating the rising electronic communication-aided criminal activities such as mobile phishing, text spam, online scams, bank frauds, and identity theft.
The SIM Registration Act aims to regulate the registration and use of SIMs by mandating all end-users to register their SIM before their activation.
Section 4 of the National Telecommunications Commission’s implementing rules and regulations mandates the DILG, along with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Education, and telecom companies, must facilitate all SIM registration in remote areas with limited telecommunication or Internet access.
San Jose assured that the DILG together with the LGUs will cooperate with DICT and the NTC to fast-track the establishment of registration facilities in geographically-isolated areas, which should be done within 60 days after Dec. 27.
In the SIM registration, 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).
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. – Press release
April 20, 2024
