The municipality of Carles, Iloilo is among the 15 identified locations for the three-day Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) registration roll out in remote areas in the country.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), in a press release, said the assisted SIM registration in Carles town is scheduled on Friday, January 27, to be held at the covered gym in front of the municipal hall.

DICT Spokesperson and Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo said the government, through the DICT, National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and its partner agencies, is doing everything to help citizens comply with the mandatory SIM registration.

“The government-led facilitation of SIM registration in remote areas is intended to ensure that the implementation of the law is inclusive and that we finish the SIM registration on time. We are reaching out to SIM end-users in areas with limited telecommunication or internet access to assist them in registering their SIMs. The DICT’s Free Wi-Fi sites will serve as the hubs for SIM registration in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs),” said Lamentillo in the DICT press report.

On the other hand, NTC Officer-in-Charge Commissioner Ella Blanca B. Lopez said the NTC, through the concerted effort of its Regional Offices, and in coordination with the telcos and relevant government agencies, will ensure the proper conduct of the SIM registration in remote areas.

“This endeavor is aimed at maximizing SIM subscriber participation in the SIM Registration process, thereby helping ensure the successful implementation of the SIM Registration Act,” said Lopez.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have committed their support to the assisted SIM registration.

DILG has tasked concerned local government units to ensure the success of the assisted registration in GIDAs while the DOJ will set up NBI one-stop-shops so that citizens who do not have valid government-issued IDs can secure their NBI clearance on-site and use it for the SIM registration.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. signed the SIM Card Registration Act in October last year that aims to regulate the issuance of SIM cards in a bid to curb the spread of spam text messages and scams.

As of January 22, 2023, DICT reported that SIM Registration has been completed for 24,120,541 SIMs. Based on records provided by the NTC, the total number is 14.27% of the 168,977,773 million subscribers nationwide.

Smart Communications Inc. reported a total of 12,167,220 SIMs registered, which is 17.9% of Smart’s 67,995,734 subscribers. Globe Telecom Inc. recorded 9,988,656 registered — 11.37% of its 87,873,936 subscribers. Meanwhile, DITO Telecommunity Corp. reported a total of 1,964,665 SIMs registered or 14.99% of its 13,108,103 subscribers.

DICT is reminding the public to be vigilant as they complete the registration process and to register only through the official links of PTEs: SMART –smart.com.ph/simreg or simreg.smart.com.ph; GLOBE – new.globe.com.ph/simreg; and DITO – https://digital.dito.ph/pto/download/app.

For complaints and concerns related to SIM Registration, one may contact the hotline 1326 or DICT through these numbers: SMART: 0947 714 7105; GLOBE: 0966 976 5971; and DITO: 0991 481 4225.JBG/DICT/laf/PIA6-Iloilo