It has been almost ten days since SIM card registration in the Philippines has started. Note that this is mandated by Republic Act No. 11934 – The SIM Card Registration Act – which was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on October 10, 2022. This is to lessen the spread of spam messages and arrest text message scammers.
Spam messages are no longer new to us. We receive such with our personal emails and when SMS through cell phones started, it has been used by some bad guys to scam people. I myself am continuously receiving spam text messages with my cell phone numbers until now. The last one was on January 1 of the current year. One thing that is frustrating about this is that some groups of people know my personal information because they mention my full name in their messages.
I am thankful when I hear the news about President Marcos signing the SIM card registration act. Somehow I felt relieved that he took priority on how to resolve such a crime in text messages.
The government is giving 180 days for the registration process. Meaning, all old SIM cards should be registered 180 days starting December 27, 2022. Old SIM cards not registered after the given timeframe will be automatically deactivated. Unused SIM cards (unsold) will be deactivated by December 26, 2022 at 11:59PM.
I registered my SIM cards today, January 5, 2023. I didn’t rush to register on the first day because I already expected registration failed issues and thus it really happened. However, my first attempt in registering with Smart and Globe network still fails. I registered using my Smartphone one at a time and received “Registration failed” issues for both networks. The issue with Smart network was when uploading/taking photo of document (ID) while for Globe it was with the site/link itself that was hard to access. As a work around I tried to register using my PC hoping to do it with no issues. It appears easier to register using a PC or Laptop. In less than five minutes I have successfully registered three Globe SIM cards and one Smart SIM card. But of course you have to be ready with the required documents like a photo of valid ID and ID picture for uploading. The process is hassle free, from receiving OTP and encoding your basic personal information in the system.
3GB Free Data plus Unlimited Call and Texts
Here are my observations upon registering my SIM cards for Smart and Globe networks. Both networks will ask you to provide basic personal information like full name, DOB, address then valid ID and ID picture or a selfie. Smart has the option to add an alternate contact number which is quite good for me so I add my email address and one number from another network. Globe doesn’t have this option. I am not sure about other networks like DITO. When the registration process is successful a control number will be generated and you will have to take note of this. You also received a confirmation via text message. For Smart, they will include the generated control number while Globe does not include it in the text message. I am quite satisfied with my experience in registering my SIM cards via PC as I have done the process hassle free. I appreciate how Smart network is making ways to satisfy its subscribers. They will give you FREE 3GB of data for all sites and apps plus unlimited call and text to all networks for one day. Globe network doesn’t have these freebies after registration.
Can scammers still send spam SMS after SIM registration?
This is the question that I want a clear answer. If I didn’t receive spam SMS with my registered SIMs starting today, that is surely a problem solved. But how can we be sure that we will not receive a spam SMS? Scammers already have a copy of my cell phone numbers in the first place and they will not stop scamming people while they have the opportunity to do so. But anyway I am more optimistic of the possibilities this SIM card registration act could bring to us.
I have done registering my SIM cards via PC registration and don’t experience any issues so far. So my advice would be to register your SIM with a laptop or PC for ease of the process instead of your Smartphone. The 180 days time frame for SIM card registration is, I think, enough to accommodate all old SIM cards to be registered. But the government is giving extension if needed.
For those who have not registered their SIM card you can click here for the step-by-step process.
