The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Wednesday held in-person registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards in the scuba-diving capital of Moalboal in the south of Cebu province.
Felipe Gumalo, NTC-Central Visayas OIC regional director, said the registration has been held inside the Moalboal Municipal Hall to accommodate prepaid subscribers of the three telecommunication networks who want to register their SIM cards but are living in remote areas.
“The town of Moalboal in Region 7 was chosen as the pilot area for the rollout of the SIM registration campaign together with 15 other sites nationwide. The NTC is doing simultaneous registration in five different pilot areas per day, to complete the 15 sites in three days,” Gumalo told the Philippine News Agency.
Gumalo said after Malboal, NTC and telco representatives will visit Oslob, another tourist spot in southern Cebu, Daanbantayan in the northern tip of the province, the island town of Bantayan, and the island group of Camotes.
Off-site registration, he said, is being done to assist subscribers who are living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), especially those who are still using analog phones that could not have an internet connection and those who are not “techie”.
He said the NTC will also visit some towns in Negros Oriental, Bohol and Siquijor before the April 26 deadline for registration.
Representatives from Globe, Dito, and Smart assisted subscribers in registering their SIM cards.
According to an advisory posted on the social page of the Philippine Information Agency-Central Visayas, the booth at the Moalboal municipal building will cater to both the residents and tourists in the area.
“We are inviting the residents of Moalboal, especially those using keypad phones and SIM-card based Wi-Fi routers, to take advantage of the free service,” the advisory said.
It said that there is no limit on the number of SIM cards that can be registered per subscriber but minors are advised to record under the name of their parents.
Subscribers are also advised to bring any valid proof of identification. (PNA)
