Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 26) — An advocacy group urges the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to reactivate the over 62 million SIM that will be disenfranchised by the end of the month.
The Junk SIM Registration Network said these SIM, which weren’t registered before the July 25 deadline, mostly belong to the marginalized sector and grassroots communities.
“Kahit na hindi pa sila nakapag-register, kailangan huwag putulan ng DICT ang access sa komunikasyon [DICT shouldn’t cut the communication lines of those who failed to register]. When millions and millions of Filipinos are at risk of having their right to communication interrupted,” Maded Batara III, the group’s spokesperson, said on Tuesday.
“The government should really be more transparent. More likely these [the over 62 million] are actual SIMs that are in use. Or SIMs that people did not register,” he added.
The group protested in front of the DICT office in Quezon City, slamming the timing of the SIM deactivation with the onslaught of Super Typhoon Egay in northern parts of the country.
“Ngayon pa talaga nangyari ang mass deactivation kung saan mas maapektuhan ang mga taong nasa malalayong lugar na mas kailangan ng access sa internet at access sa SIM para makipag-communicate sila sa kanilang mahal sa buhay at para hindi sila malagay sa panganib,” Batara added.
[Translation: What a time for the deactivation to happen, when Typhoon Egay threatens residents in far-flung areas who need internet access and access to their SIM to communicate with their loved ones and ensure their safety.]
Kadamay Secretary General Mimi Doringo said typhoon-hit areas would not be able to receive emergency alerts and updates due to the deactivation.
She said some members of the group were among the millions who experienced SIM deactivation.
Telecommunication firms deactivated unregistered SIM at 12:01 a.m. in accordance with the law. Deactivation means loss of incoming and outgoing services like voice calls and texts, and no access to mobile data.
Users can still reactivate their SIM until July 30 or five days from the July 25 cutoff, before facing permanent deactivation.
The group cited data privacy and security concerns surrounding SIM registration. They also called on government and telcos to ensure the safety of SIM registration data, which may be a valuable target for hackers.
“Matuto na po tayo sa karanasan ng ating mga karatig bansa sa rehiyon. Indonesia, Pakistan at iba pa. Na hindi naman naging epektibo ang SIM registration law. Naging avenue pa ito sa pagpapalala ng identity theft,” he said.
[Translation: Let’s learn from Indonesia, Pakistan, and others. They proved that the SIM registration law isn’t effective. Sometimes it even becomes an avenue for identity theft.]
Batara said they will seek all options, including legal remedies, to repeal the SIM Registration Act.
In April, the Supreme Court junked the bid to temporarily stop SIM registration.
The DICT has stood firm on the July 25 SIM registration deadline as it noted that authorities and telecommunication firms are within their target numbers. It said users were given ample time to register after the first deadline extension.
