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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 20) — Registered users who lost their SIM cards will now need an affidavit of loss and an identification card (ID) when requesting reactivation with their telecom providers, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Thursday.
“Ang kailangan niyo lang po gawin ay pumunta po sa pinakamalapit na telco at sabihin po na nanakaw ang inyong SIM card. Mag-dala lang po kayo ng valid ID at affidavit of loss at ita-transfer po nila yung ownership,” DICT Undersecretary and spokesperson Anna Mae Lamentillo said in a public briefing.
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[Translation: You only need to go to the nearest telco and declare stolen SIM card as stolen. Bring a valid ID and an affidavit of loss and they will transfer the ownership.]
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Lamentillo added that this is the same process for the deactivation of SIM cards and change of ownership requests.
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She said the problem with most Filipinos is they swap or pass on SIM cards with people they know which is now prohibited by the new law.
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“Dati pag gusto mo ipahiram yung cellphone [SIM card] mo sa kapitbahay o sa iyong kaibigan, hindi mo na kailangan i-transfer yung ownership,” she said.
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“Pero dahil nga po may batas na po tayo, bago ninyo po iyan ibigay, kailangan po i-inform muna natin iyong mga telco natin na magkakaroon po ng change of ownership,” the official added.
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[Translation: Before, if you want to lend your cellphone to your neighbour or friend, you don’t need to transfer ownership. But because of the new law, before we can give a SIM card away, we need to inform our telco about the change of ownership.]
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After making the request, the new SIM card owner will then need to complete registration and submit requirements with the telco.
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Lamentillo warned that the use of stolen SIM cards is considered a crime and is punishable by jail time and fines.
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