PANGANTUCAN, Bukidnon (PIA)--Over 300 villagers, mainly from the town's outlying areas, registered their SIM cards, January 25, in Pangantucan, Bukidnon, as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)-10, in partnership with Globe, Smart, and DITO telcos, launched the Facilitated Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration.

This is part of the government's nationwide SIM registration campaign, which aims to serve people living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Mayor Miguel A. Silva Jr. of Pangantucan town said SIM registration would solve the town's problem of anonymous death threats.

"Extortion is one of the problems here in town. The blackmailer’s ploy is to demand a certain amount. If you don't give them [extortionists] the required sum, you will receive a death threat from an unknown texter or caller," the mayor said.

Engr. Joel Siladan, NTC-10’s Enforcement and Operations Division chief, explained that all used SIMs must be registered before the deadline to avoid SIM deactivation.

"All SIMs must be registered for continuous use because all unregistered SIMs will be electronically deactivated after the deadline, which is April 26," Siladan said.

Atty. Joanne Marie Pacuribot of NTC-10 also emphasized that there is no penalty for unregistered SIM cards, but these will be automatically deactivated by the telecommunications companies (telcos).

Annabella Talaugon, one of those who completed the SIM card registration process, thanked the NTC for the opportunity.

"Salamat NTC sa gihatud nga serbisyo aron marehistro ang akong SIM card. Kadaghan na man gud ko nag-try sa online pero di gyud ko makasulod kay hinay kaayo ang signal didto sa among barangay. (Thank you, NTC, for allowing me to register my SIM card. I tried going online several times but was unable to connect because the signal in our barangay is extremely slow)," Talaugon said. (BGE/PIA-10/Bukidnon)