DICT admits gaps in SIM registration

DICT admits gaps in SIM registration, calls for stricter implementation

By: - Reporter / @jownmanaloINQ
/ 12:32 PM January 29, 2025

DICT admits gaps in SIM registration, calls for stricter implementation

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has acknowledged gaps in implementing the SIM Card Registration Law, stressing the need for stricter identity verification measures.

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy made this statement on Tuesday after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla criticized the law as ineffective due to weak identity management, particularly its failure to require a national ID for SIM card registration.

Article continues after this advertisement

Uy explained that while the law aimed to curb scams and fraudulent activities, many Filipinos struggled to register due to a lack of valid identification.

FEATURED STORIES

“The deadline was approaching, and many Filipinos, especially those in the provinces, could not register because they had no IDs,” Uy said in Filipino during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.

“There was a public clamor… What do we do now? Many people had no IDs. What was the response of telcos? What did legislators suggest? What would DICT, PLDT, Globe, Smart, DITO, and NTC do? People couldn’t register without an ID,” he added.

Article continues after this advertisement

DICT admits gaps in SIM registration, calls for stricter implementation

READ: The arduous process of acquiring IDs for Filipinos

Article continues after this advertisement

To address this, the government initially allowed alternative forms of identification to facilitate registration. However, Uy admitted this led to loopholes.

“The directive was to accept any form of ID to allow registration. That was a disaster because even fake IDs were used,” he said in Filipino.

Article continues after this advertisement

As a result, scammers exploited the system to register multiple SIM cards, enabling fraudulent activities to persist, he added.

Uy stressed the need to integrate the national ID system into SIM card registration, as also pointed out by Remulla.

“What Secretary Jonvic said is that identity management needs to be enhanced… We need to plug that gap,” he said in Filipino.

The DICT chief also noted that with 85 million digital national IDs now issued, SIM card holders should be required to update their registration using their national ID.

Uy said telecommunication companies must enforce compliance by warning users who fail to update their registration, adding that non-compliant SIM cards should be deactivated.

DICT admits gaps in SIM registration, calls for stricter implementation | INQToday

“This will clean up the system,” he added.

Uy admitted that implementation issues arose because authorities initially lowered the standard for valid IDs.

“That’s what he (Remulla) was saying—that telcos should now implement a mechanism to make the SIM Card Registration Law more effective. Medyo nagkaroon ng gap (There was a gap) in the implementation because we lowered the standard on identity. We lowered the standard on what valid IDs can be used to register,” he explained.

READ: Marcos orders DILG to shift funds to integrated 911 system

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

Remulla earlier pointed out that the failure to integrate the national ID system into SIM registration allowed illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) to thrive.

“The problem is that our national ID system is not yet integrated with telcos. That’s why Pogo operations proliferated because the SIM Card Registration Act was not as effective due to the lack of a national ID requirement,” Remulla said in Filipino during a Palace briefing on Tuesday.

“Sometimes, one person can buy a hundred SIM cards. That system needs to be integrated as well,” he added.

TAGS: Department of Information and Communications Technology, SIM registration

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2025 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.