A network of digital advocates blasted the today Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy after announcing that unregistered SIMs within the 90 day extension will have their services limited.
Digital Pinoys national campaigner Ronald Gustilo said that limiting the social media communications access for subscribers with unregistered SIMs is nowhere mentioned in the law.
“The DICT head should stop inventing procedures that are not helpful and not part of the law or its IRR. Limiting social media access for subscribers with unregistered SIMs is not mentioned in any provision of the SIM registration law and should be off the table.”
Gustilo said that instead of implementing callous and insensitive steps to increase the number of registrants, DICT should focus instead on getting real data on the ground so that real solutions can be executed.
“Secretary Uy should stop being insensitive to the plight of the people and recognize the actual situation on the ground. Limiting the services that unregistered subscribers can avail will only make things worse. Only by providing real solutions will they be able to increase the registration rate.”
Gustilo also castigated Secretary Uy for underscoring the absence of valid government-issued identification cards as a legitimate reason for the low outcome of the SIM registration.
“Cleary, the DICT head is not aware of the real problems on the ground. With more than 90 million unregistered subscribers, it is clearly not a case of delaying up to the last minute, but more because of the inability of the DICT to plan and implement efficiently. Secretary Uy, you failed big time. Stop passing on the blame to the public. It’s your shortcoming.”###
