Why aren’t some subscribers registering their SIM cards yet?

Delayed one-time pin, digital illiteracy, doubt on the effectiveness of program among reasons

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Delayed one-time pin (OTP), digital illiteracy, and doubt on the effectiveness of the program, in general, are some of the reasons shared by some subscribers in Cebu on why it took them some time to register their sim cards.

Jessie Cañas, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from Barangay Quiot, Cebu City, told CDN Digital that he lauds the law that mandates all-end users to register their mobile phone numbers for crime deterrence.

READ: Haven’t registered your SIM card yet? Here’s how

He noted how the country is a bit behind in this initiative, as, based on his experience as an OFW in Qatar and Oman, one can only buy a prepaid sim card in those countries if they have  an official ID.

He, however, said that his first attempt in registering his mobile numbers did not go smoothly. He said he was able to register only one of his two mobile numbers earlier, after he encountered delays in getting the OTP for his second mobile number registration. OTP is a “dynamic password” that can be used only once mainly for user authentication purposes.

Cañas said he only decided to go through the process again and succeeded in registering his second mobile number on Tuesday, April 18.

READ: As SIM card registration deadline nears, what happens next?

| NTC

Likewise, Charlie Hera, from Barangay Duljo, said he was elated when he first heard of the sim card registration.

“I think there’s just so much anonimity in society, which, for me, a source of rampant doings. With this, I am positive that things like scams, killings, and even trolls online, if not totally diminished, they will at least be lessened,” he said.

He, however, said he also understands why there are individuals and groups who are against it.

Meanwhile, Flor (real name with held as requested) said she had to wait for her niece to register her sim card, as she admitted that she is not that digital literate.

She had her sim card registered earlier this month.

No extension of SIM registration

In a separate interview, Carl Therence Bodlis, 27, and a back office support employee of an IT company in Cebu, expressed her apprehensions on the sim card registration.

“I’m just doubtful because what if I register early, [and] then there is a discrepancy? Will it be easy to resolve or will it affect my usual use of the sim? Just like on [the issuance of] the [COVID-19] vaccination cert (certificate), a new tool or site from government but my request for details update almost two years ago, I still can’t retrieve it in the system. [There was] no clear customer support,” she told CDN Digital in Cebuano.

She registered one of her two mobile numbers just this week and plans to register the other before the deadline.

Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, in a statement on Wednesday, April 19, said there will be no extension of the sim registration and is firm on the April 26 deadline.

“DICT reminds the public that non-registration will result in the deactivation of their SIMs and eSIMs, barring them from receiving and sending calls and text messages and accessing mobile applications and digital wallets,” it said in a statement.

The DICT also assured that the Sim Registration Act “places primacy on the fundamental rights of Filipinos” and is with safeguards to ensure confidentiality and security of user data.

As of April 18, data from the National Telecommunications Commission showed that only 44.15 percent or 74,182,402 mobile numbers have been registered out of the total 168,016,400.

/bmjo

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