Senator Bong Go has expressed his support for the decision to extend the deadline for mandatory SIM card registration in the country by 90 days.
This extension came in response to the public’s appeal for more time to register their SIM cards, especially for those who were not prepared for the new requirement.
Go shared that he has recently appealed to the Department of Information and Communications Technology “to make such an extension to allow more users to register given that this is the first time we are making this mandatory”.
The legislator also asked telecommunications companies to make the process easier, saying, “gawin pang mas simple ang proseso upang matagumpay na makapagrehistro maging ang mga kababayan nating hindi naman bihasa sa internet.”
For those who have not registered their SIM cards yet, the lawmaker encouraged them to take advantage of the extension period while reminding them that the law is for their own benefit and protection.
“Samantalahin na ninyo ang palugit na ito upang hindi maputol ang mga serbisyong nakukuha gamit ang mobile phone.”
“At para sa mga kababayan nating hindi pa rehistrado ang kanilang SIM cards, samantalahin na ninyo ang palugit na ito upang hindi maputol ang mga serbisyong nakukuha gamit ang mobile phone,” the senator said.
“Para din sa inyong proteksyun at ikabubuti ng lahat ang hangarin ng batas na ito,” he added.
In an ambush interview after personally aiding indigent residents in General Natividad, Nueva Ecija, Go emphasized that it is crucial to ensure that the registration process is simple and accessible to everyone.
“Dapat turuan natin ang ating mga kababayan at dapat gawing simple ‘yung pagrerehistro. ‘Yung pinaka-simple.”
“Unang-una, dapat turuan natin ang ating mga kababayan at dapat gawing simple ‘yung pagrerehistro. ‘Yung pinaka-simple,” said Go.
“Importante dito, malaman sino ang owner, at dapat po hindi matigil ang serbisyo. Diyan na po magkakaletse-letse kapag naputol ang SIM, dahil hindi po makarehistro,” he added.
The latest figures indicate that as of April 20, approximately 45% of the 168 million subscribers across the country have completed the registration process for their SIM cards.
DICT Secretary Ivan Uy believes that one of the major issues that needs to be addressed is the difficulty some subscribers face when trying to obtain a valid identification card necessary for registration.
Earlier, Go renewed his push for his filed Senate Bill No. 194 or the proposed E-Governance Act of 2022 which seeks to mandate the government to establish an integrated, interconnected, and interoperable information and resource-sharing and communications network spanning the entirety of the national and local government, an internal records management information system, an information database, and digital portals for the delivery of public services.
The measure aims for the digitization of paper-based and other traditional modes of workflows for a more efficient and transparent public service.
