Sim Registration has caused mass panic amongst the public as the deadline looms, forcing the government to extend. Image courtesy of The Philippine News Agency.
The government announces the extension of the SIM Card registration until July 25, 2023.
Justice Secretary Remulla revealed the 90-day extension of the subscriber identity module (SIM) as the outcome of the Cabinet cluster meeting in Malacañang on April 25, 2023.
Based on the data provided by The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), as of April 23 this year, only 49.31%, or about 82 million SIM cards, have been registered out of more than 168 million SIM cards in the country.
The deadline for the SIM registration was supposed to be on April 26, and failure to comply within the given period will result in limited service from telecommunications companies.
DOJ secretary says, “Most of the services that come with the cellphones that are not registered will be cut off with the telcos."
"Those who are not registered will experience social media unavailability," Remulla adds.
SIM card registration is in compliance with the Republic Act (RA) No. 11934, where telecommunication companies require identification information.
President Ferdinand "BongBong" Marcos Jr. signed the SIM Card Registration Bill into law in October and took effect in December 2022 to fight scams perpetrated through text and online messages.
Following the announcement of the SIM card registration extension, the Supreme Court denies the plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Republic Act No. 11934.
Instead, the Supreme Court ordered telecommunications companies and certain government agencies to file responses to the petition challenging the constitutionality of the SIM card registration law.