Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 25) — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) will sit down with telecommunications firms to establish guidelines on the use of emergency cell broadcast system.
“In the future we probably need to be more circumspect in using that kind of platform (emergency alert system). So wala kasing [there’s no] specific rules pa [yet] on that. I think DICT, NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) will now sit down with the telcos and establish certain parameters on how and when these types of emergency broadcast are going to be utilized,” DICT Sec. Ivan John Uy told reporters on Tuesday. He did not disclose a time or date for the meeting.
This comes after a telco drew flak over the weekend for sending out emergency alerts reminding users to register their SIMs before the original April 26 deadline.
Globe Telecom issued alerts tagged as “extreme,” which some netizens found to have caused unnecessary panic.
The Ayala-led telco argued that the blasting of the emergency alerts is crucial as the SIM registration deadline nears. The government has since extended the registration period for another 90 days.
Uy described Globe Telecom’s move as “a bit unorthodox” but added that “desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Marami pa ring hindi nagparehistro. With that, kaya siguro nagpalabas yung mga telcos na gamitin yun para magising yung mga hindi nagparehistro,” he said.
