SIM card registration ‘closely monitored’ by NTC

FROM INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines—All eyes are now on the SIM card registration, which is already on its third day, with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) stressing that it is “closely monitoring” the implementation of Republic Act No. 11934.

READ: SIM card registration: A step-by-step guide

According to the NTC, Office Order No. 112-12-2022, which it issued last Dec. 23, mandates the creation of a task force that will closely look at the day-to-day implementation of the law by telecommunications companies.

It said the NTC Task Force is also expected to “immediately take appropriate action to address any concerns and other issues on the SIM [card] registration process and implementation.”

Based on latest data given to the NTC, Globe Telecom Inc. has already registered 1,769,374 SIM cards on the first two days of the listing, while Smart Communications Inc. has 1,019,207. DITO Telecommunity has registered 530,424.

The number of registered SIM cards, however, is still a small fraction of the 170 million SIM cards to be registered in the 180-day period set by law—Globe (87.9 million), Smart (68 million), and DITO (14 million).

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According to NTC officer-in-charge and commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez, this is a “priority legislation” of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

RELATED STORY: SIM card registration law signed amid privacy concerns

“It was his instruction to make the process easy for Filipinos,” she said.

NTC deputy commissioner Jon Paulo Salvahan also told radio station Teleradyo that “we have the task force in the central office, as well as a secretariat, [then] in our regional offices, we have designated officials as our coordinating focal persons.”

READ: NTC forms task force to monitor SIM card registration

GRAPHIC Jerome Cristobal

As told by Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Alexander Ramos over radio station DZBB, they have received about 120 complaints, mostly about difficulties in accessing the websites and questions on how to register.

But it is not only the government that is monitoring the implementation of the SIM Registration Act, a law that has been opposed because of data privacy and safety concerns, as non-government institutions are also on the lookout.

As stressed by the Junk SIM Registration Network, which is an alliance of digital experts and consumers, there have been several “violations to privacy that have been reported since the release of the registration websites.”

But Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said “the public should not be afraid of the SIM Registration Act as this will not be used for state surveillance or any such nefarious purpose.”

He said “the data collected will be under strict oversight and monitoring.”

Concerns intensifying

Infrawatch PH convener Terry Ridon said aside from the technical issues that marred the first day of the SIM card registration, the public is concerned on the use of marketing riders by one telecommunications company in implementing the law.

READ: Tech issues mar first day of SIM card registration

“This is nothing but [a] shameless self-promotion of its commercial interest in the context of implementing a statutory mandate,” Ridon told INQUIRER.net on Thursday (Dec. 29).

He stressed that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) “should confirm whether such marketing riders are allowed, and if [it] is, whether it has legal basis either in law or regulations.

“If there is no basis, it should order the removal of the marketing rider in the soonest time,” Ridon said.

This, as in one of the last parts of the listing process, where the registrant is set to agree with the Privacy Notice and Attestation of Completeness and Accuracy, an option if provided for Marketing and Promotional Permission.

Ridon said InfraWatch PH also shares the view of privacy advocates that “the selfie verification requirement has no basis in law and regulation,” stressing that “it is an illegal requirement ordered by the government.”

Last Wednesday (Dec. 28), Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronal Gustilo said: “The registration requirements under the SIM registration law and its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) are clear. And it does not include selfie verification.”

“The abrupt inclusion of this intrusive requirement violates the privacy of the registrant and it led to the glitches that subscribers experienced,” he said, referring to the several online and field complaints received on the first day of SIM card registration.

According to Ridon, the DICT “can only impose new regulations after notice and public hearing, through a new IRR. The selfie requirement is a substantial amendment of the mandates under both law and the IRR.”

DICT: Everyone should cooperate

As stressed by Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo, “the SIM registration law aims to protect citizens from fraudulent acts perpetrated through phone calls and text messages.”

“But in order to do this, everyone must cooperate in the registration of their SIM cards. The sooner we are able to accomplish the registration the better, so that we can start experiencing the effect and protection of the law.”

Registration will last until April 26, 2023, but this can still be extended for another 120 days.

As stated by the law, failure or refusal to register SIM cards carry these penalties: First offense (P100,000 to P300,000); second offense (P300,000 to P500,000); and third and subsequent offenses (P500,000 to P1,000,000).

Lopez, meanwhile, thanked concerned government agencies, telecommunications companies, consumer groups and the public who took part in crafting the IRR of the law.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary, Margarita Gutierrez, relayed the department’s dedication from its central office down to its field offices, together with the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies, in providing the support needed by the DICT and the NTC registration process.

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