Public urged to register SIMs ahead of deadline

THE National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is urging the public to register their SIMs before the deadline to avoid losing their mobile numbers.

NTC consultant Edgardo Cabarrios said failure to register within the given period will result in the deactivation of their SIM cards.

The government earlier announced that SIM registration is set to begin on Dec. 27.

“They’re waiting for the deadline before registering. That’s why we’re asking the public to register when it opens on Dec. 27. If we have nothing important to do, let’s register, let’s not wait for the deadline,” Cabarrios, quoted by an ABS-CBN News report, said.

The telco regulator on Monday released the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) governing the SIM registration law.

According to the IRR, all SIMs must be registered 180 days following the effectivity of the law. But Cabarrios said the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) could extend the deadline if necessary.

Senator Grace Poe meanwhile commended the NTC for meeting the deadline of publication for the IRR of the SIM Registration Act.

“However, we note with grave concern the vague verification process under the said IRR. The importance of having a verification process cannot be emphasized enough--it serves as the first line of defense against the misuse of our mobile telecommunication systems to perpetrate national security threats and identity theft in the case of end-users,” Poe said.

She said a strong and definite verification process like what the public see in standard Know-Your-Customer (KYC) procedures is a proactive guard against possible abuses in the system.

“In order to facilitate the immediate implementation of the law, we are constrained to trust the assurances given by the Technical Working Group who drafted the IRR that the NTC will continuously issue the necessary guidelines to guide the telcos in the performance of their duties under the law, particularly specifying the processes for verifying submitted information,” the senator added. With Joel E. Zurbano