Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 26) — The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Wednesday said it does not encourage the use of emergency alerts when reminding the public of the need to register their SIM.
“No, we do not encourage the telcos,” NTC deputy commissioner Jon Paulo Salvahan told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Days before the supposed April 26 deadline of the mandatory SIM registration, Globe users received an emergency alert from the telecommunications company to remind them about the need to list their numbers.
The alert drew flak from the telco subscribers, saying it caused unnecessary panic.
In a statement on Monday, Globe defended its move, saying it was to “instill urgency” to its customers.
Globe explained that the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act allows the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other relevant government agencies to use the telco network system to blast warnings during disasters and emergencies.
There were also no objections from the NDRRMC, it noted.
Salvahan said the NTC did not give clearance for the deployment of such alerts.
He said the issue has been forwarded to the NTC’s technical team.
“We are just awaiting for the recommendation of our technical team so that the commission will know how to proceed properly on this issue,” Salvahan added.
