INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has officially kicked off its mission to register SIM cards in isolated parts of the country.
NTC officer-in-charge Commissioner Ella Lopez announced on Thursday that the rollout of the registration in rural areas was made possible through the teamwork of telecoms and government agencies.
“The endeavor is aimed at maximizing SIM subscriber participation in the SIM Registration process, thereby helping ensure the successful implementation of the SIM Registration Act,” she said in a statement.
The NTC said a combination of three parameters was used in the selection of remote areas where it would hold its SIM card registration campaign:
- the number of the area’s telecommunications or internet access infrastructure
- the number of geographically isolated and disadvantaged area barangays
- population
It explained that the three factors enabled the regional offices to conduct an analysis of the true condition of the region, which included examining its proximity or distance from major centers, the use of land transportation, the initial opinion of the Local Government Unit (LGU), and the availability of SIM registration sites.
After determining the zones depending on the three criteria, the NTC said the list was forwarded to the telcos for concurrence.
“For telcos, the concurrence was based on scoping their network, the availability of manpower and budget for the activity,” it said.
READ: SIM card registration: A step-by-step guide
Below is the schedule and location of SIM card registration per region:
January 25
Region I
Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte
-Municipal auditorium of Pasuquin
Region VII
Moalboal, Cebu
-Covered court (gym) beside the municipal hall of Moalboal
Region VIII
Palo, Leyte
-Municipal gym of Palo
Region X
Pangantucan, Bukidnon
-Municipal gymnasium of Pangantucan
Region XI
Malalag, Davao del Sur
-Covered court of Malalag
January 26
CAR
Atok, Benguet
-Basketball court in Atok
Region II
Camalaniugan, Cagayan
Region III
Calumpit, Bulacan
-Municipal covered court of Calumpit
Region IV-A
Rosario, Batangas
-Luancing Covered Court at the back of municipal hall of Brgy. Poblacion, Rosario
Region IX
Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur
-Multipurpose covered court in Brgy. Arena Blanco
January 27
Region IV-B
Baco, Oriental Mindoro
-Covered court in Brgy. Sta. Rosa 1, Baco
Region V
City of Ligao, Albay
-Multipurpose covered court in Brgy. Paulba, Ligao City
Region VI
Carles, Iloilo
-Covered gym of Carles in front of the municipal hall
Region XII
Arakan, Cotabato
Emergency Operations Center in the Evacuation Center building, Municipal Hall compound, Poblacion, Arakan
Region XIII
Tagbina, Surigao del Sur
-Municipal gym of Tagbina