The agency said that SIM registration has been completed for 10.13 percent of the 169 million subscribers nationwide, with 17,115,910 registered as of January 10.
Also, the Department of Justice has urged the public to comply with the mandated SIM registration because the law has penal provisions for violations.
The DOJ, through its Office of Cybercrime, warned that prohibited acts under Republic Act 11934 have penalties including imprisonment and fines.
Smart Communications Inc. reported a total of 8,037,862 SIMs registered, while there are 7,556,037 SIMs registered for Globe Telecom Inc. and 1,522,011 for DITO Telecommunity Corp.
DICT Undersecretary Anna Mae Yu Lamentillo said that the public telecommunications entities (PTEs) are continuously improving the process to ensure a smooth registration experience for end-users.
The DICT also encouraged the public to register early and avoid last-minute registrations. Filipinos are also reminded to be vigilant as they complete the registration process.
“Our aim is to register at least one million SIMs every day. Currently, we are on track, but there could be a lull, and then a surge again once we are near the deadline,” Lamentillo said.
“That is why we seek the help of the media in our information campaign, let us continuously encourage the public to register their SIMs already as soon as they can,” she added.
Under the SIM Registration Law, all mobile subscribers are required to register their SIM until April 26, 2023.
In its advisory, the DOJ-OOC said that existing subscribers “must register with their respective Public Telecommunication Entity (PTE) within 180 days of the law’s effectivity.”
SIM card registration started on Dec. 27, 2022, under Republic Act No. No. 11934, the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act.
It said that corporations and minors must also register.
For corporations, the DOJ-OOC said that aside from securing a certificate of registration, they should issue a “duly adopted resolution designating the authorized representative, and in the case of other judicial entities, a special power of attorney.”
For minors, it said the registration should be in the name of his or her parent or guardian.
It also said that foreigners in the country will also have to register their SIM cards and must present a passport, proof of address including hotel booking or other types of accommodation, and other pertinent documents including an Alien Employment Permit, an Alien Certificate of Registration, school registration, or travel admission.
Among the prohibited acts under the law are the use of fictitious identities or fraudulent documents to register; the sale or transfer of registered SIM without the required registration; spoofing as a registered SIM; a failure or refusal to register a SIM; the sale of stolen SIM; and breach of confidentiality, intentional or due to negligence, on the part of the public telecommunication entities, the DOJ-OOC advisory said.
The DICT also reminded the public to register only using official channels:
SMART-smart.com.ph/simreg or simreg.smart.com.ph
GLOBE – new.globe.com.ph/simreg
DITO-https://digital.dito.ph/pto/ download/app
People who have complaints and concerns related to SIM Registration may call the DICT hotline 1326, the agency said.