TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 6 (PIA) -- The Association of United Development Information Officers (AUDIO) Bohol strengthened its information campaign on SIM registration law by conducting a SIM sign-up drive on March 2 at the Bohol Island State University (BISU) Tagbilaran City Campus Activity Center.

The event was in partnership with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and the Bohol Island State University (BISU).

This is in support to Republic Act 11934, otherwise known as the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Oct. 10, 2022 to curb the rising incidence of scams and spam text messages and regulate the issuance of SIM cards.

At least 500 SIM cards were registered from information officers, students, and faculty members of BISU during the AUDIO Bohol sign-up drive.

AUDIO Bohol President Ma. Lydia Bantugan said the sign-up drive aimed to spread awareness on the importance of registering SIM cards as this will help combat cybercrimes in the country.

“They should register at once and not wait for the deadline to lapse to avoid the inconvenience of getting their SIM cards deactivated,” Bantugan said.

National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) legal officer Atty. Alan Felix Macaraya, thru Zoom, explained RA 11934 or the SIM Card Registration Act and its importance in fighting text and online scams which are becoming more prevalent in recent years.

The NTC said their latest figure indicates that the country has accomplished only a little over 20% SIM cards registered, after two months of registration. 

With this, Globe Telecom’s Channel Transportation Strategy Development Manager Jose Luis Varquez urged their subscribers to take the opportunity of registering their pre-paid SIM cards now to avoid a surge in the system when the deadline comes.

Smart Communication’s Stakeholder Management Officer in Visayas Tiarra Cabilla, meanwhile, encouraged their subscribers, especially at the grassroots, to protect themselves from the rampant threats of SIM-, Internet-, or Electronic-aided crimes by registering their SIM.

Cabilla added that Smart has also set up several on-ground SIM registration desks all over the Visayas to accommodate process-related inquiries and assist subscribers who are still legacy phone users.

Under the law, if a prepaid subscriber fails to register within 180 days from the implementation of the law, the SIM card will automatically be deactivated and needs registration before it can be activated again.

All prepaid subscribers in three telcos -- Globe, Smart, and Dito -- have until April 26, 2023 as the deadline for registration. (ECB/PIA7 Bohol)