Gomez: LGUs should not be burdened with info drive for SIM card registration

Leyte Representative Richard Gomez on Tuesday warned the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) against tasking local government units (LGUs) to lead information campaign for the registration of SIM cards as it is not provided in the law.

Gomez, a two-term mayor of Ormoc City in Leyte, said Republic Act 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act, designates the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) as the lead implementing agency.

"It is the responsibility of the DICT and the telecommunication companies to implement the registration of SIM cards, including informing the public the whys and the dos. Why give the burden of letting the public know about the pros and cons of the measures, and the registration methods, to the LGUs when these already have so many tasks at hand?" he said.

He added the telecommunication companies should not burden the LGUs since the former are the ones which earn hundreds of millions of pesos a day from mobile phone users.

"They (telcos) are much richer than most LGUs. They should take care of their own business and their own problems because their profits are all theirs to keep and enjoy,” Gomez said.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos on Monday urged local officials to raise awareness and encourage their constituents to register their SIM cards starting December 27.

Gomez said LGUs already have a lot on their plates, given the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, the natural calamities, and ensuring peace and order in their communities during the Christmas season when mobility is at its peak.

“Telecommunication firms can easily tap their distributors and thousands of retail stores to do the registration where they sell their SIM cards. LGUs are already doing so much more, primarily addressing the needs of their constituents. The SIM card registration po is a work for the DICT and the telcos,” he said.

“We should allow them to do their jobs,” Gomez added.

The SIM Card Registration law obliges every public telecommunications entity (PTE) or any direct seller to require the end user of a SIM card to present a valid identification document with photo to ascertain the latter's identity.

Likewise, the law provides that PTE or any direct seller will require the end user to accomplish and sign a control-numbered registration form issued by the respective PTE of the SIM card purchased.—Llanesca Panti/AOL, GMA Integrated News