Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 20) — Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual expressed his support for the extension of SIM registration as the possibility of mass deactivation of mobile numbers after the April 26 deadline could pose “a major concern,” hindering the Philippines’ push for a digital economy.
“If not all SIMs are registered, I think it’s a major concern. That has to be evaluated by telcos and concerned agencies in charge of ICT,” he said during a Palace briefing on Thursday.
The trade chief’s remarks came after he was asked about the possible impact if the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) remains firm about its decision not to extend the SIM registration.
On Wednesday, the DICT rejected the call of telcos to extend the deadline and urged Filipinos to maximize the remaining week before the registration ends on April 26.
Data from the DICT showed that only 74 million users as of Tuesday have been registered, not even half of the more than 168 million SIMs.
“If we really need registration, personally I would go for it,” Pascual said. “The campaign has to be done and we need to make sure that registration happens.”
“It’s like voters’ registration,” he added. “We need voters to register for us to exercise the democratic process. And here for security, we need SIMs registered.”
Pascual stressed that SIM registration is “very important” as the country moves towards digital payment.
