‘Deadline is deadline’: Most Filipinos support April 26 deadline for SIM registration

Employees of Smart Communications assist a phone subscriber in registering her SIM card, at a mall in Davao City on Wednesday, April 19. (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)

By Arabella Asis

As the deadline nears for the subscriber identity module (SIM) registration, most Filipinos are expecting that no extension will be given to subscribers who will fail to comply.

According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), there will be no extension for the SIM card registration period despite the request of telecommunications entities to extend the deadline.

We asked the netizens if they are in favor of extending the deadline for SIM registration. 

Most netizens expressed dismay over subscribers who have yet to register their SIM.

“No extension. Simpleng patakaran, [‘di] magawa. Masyado [nang] maluwag [‘yan], ilang buwan na [ang] palugit and it takes only 10 minutes of our time,” one netizen argued. 

“‘Pag gusto ng pagbabago, dapat sumusunod. Hindi ‘yung extend [nang] extend. Ginagawa niyo lang na katawa-tawa ‘yang mga batas na ginagawa [niyo],” another netizen followed. 

Meanwhile, some Filipinos overseas shared their concern on the slow and difficult process of registering their SIMs.

“[Paano] kaming [nandito] sa ibang bansa, hindi pa nakapagrehistro,” one netized shared. 

The DICT is continuously reminding the public to register their SIM before April 26. 

“The DICT reiterates that the SIM Registration Act places primacy on the fundamental rights of Filipinos and is replete with safeguards to ensure the confidentiality and security of user data,” the DICT said in a statement.

As of April 17, a total of 73,033,833 SIM cards have been registered, including 31,585,578 for Globe, 36,115,938 for Smart, and 5,332,317 for Dito. – cf

Popular

Myanmar’s junta chief to head to Bangkok summit as quake toll surpasses 3,000

By Agence France-Presse The head of Myanmar's junta is expected to travel to Bangkok on Thursday for a regional summit, as the death toll from...

PBBM reciprocates VP Sara’s gratitude on helping her mend ties with dad

By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency “Glad I could help.” This was the response of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., according to Palace Press...

Purchase of US fighter jets vital to boost PH defense – ES Bersamin

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Thursday, April 3, said the planned procurement of fighter jets from the...

Recto says use of PhilHealth funds to spare PH from new debts

By Benjamin Pulta | Philippine News Agency Finance Secretary Ralph Recto on Wednesday defended the transfer of idle and unused Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth)...