SIM listup extended 90 days

PBBM orders DICT to prevent Pinoys from losing telco services

By Rey E. Requejo, Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez, Darwin G. Amojelar, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

THE government has extended for 90 days the April 26 deadline for the registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Tuesday.

DOH: Get vax booster amid COVID uptick

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

A DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) official said Tuesday more Filipinos must get their COVID-19 booster doses amid an uptick of cases in the country.

The Philippines recorded 3,148 COVID-19 cases in the past week.

From April 17 to 23, an average of 450 daily infections were logged in the country, which is 32 percent higher compared to the previous week, according to DOH Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea De Guzman.

“We need more boosters for our targeted population--among senior citizens, only 82 percent are fully vaccinated, and only 30 percent of our target population have received boosters,” De Guzman told TeleRadyo as she attributed the increase in cases to additional mobility.

In related developments:

* People eligible to receive the second COVID-19 booster dose were called on by a medical professional to take the jab amid the reported rise in COVID infections.

In a public briefing Tuesday, Dr. Benito Atienza, Philippine Federation of Professional Association Vice set up their respective registration platforms for users who present valid identification cards.

Data from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed that as of April 23, only 82,845,397 SIMs have been registered. These registered SIMs represent only 49.31 percent of more than 168 million all over the country.

EXTEND THE DEADLINE.

Remulla, who attended a Cabinet cluster meeting at Malacanang on Tuesday, said the government found the extension necessary as “most of the services that come with the cell phones that are not registered will be cut off with the telcos.”

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directs the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to start a 90-day extension period for SIM registration after the initial April 26, 2023 deadline during a Cabinet cluster meeting at Malacanang on Tuesday. PCO Photo

Mandatory SIM registration is provided for under Republic Act no. 11934, the SIM Registration Act.

RA 11934 provides that public telecommunications entities (PTEs) should

Of the 82 million registered SIMs, more than 37 million are Globe subscribers, more than 39 million are Smart subscribers and over 5 million are Dito subscribers. SIM holders were originally given until April 26 to register or face the risk of deactivation.