Speaker urges agencies, telcos: Assist OFWs in SIM registration

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Martin Romualdez yesterday asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and telecommunication companies (telcos) to have a system that will assist overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families in registering their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.

Romualdez said mobile phones are the “principal means” of communication between OFWs and their families, so these agencies and telcos should make sure that they are able to register their SIM cards.

“In particular, let us assist overseas Filipino workers and their families to register… The thought that they could instantly make audio-video calls eases the pain of being thousands of miles away from home and from their loved ones,” he noted in a statement.

Romualdez added that the Department of Migrant Workers and Department of Foreign Affairs should help the DICT, NTC and telcos inform OFWs and their families of the requirements and assist them in registering their SIM cards.

“I suspect that OFW families in the provinces are finding it difficult to comply with the registration requirement. Some may even be unaware of it,” he pointed out.

The Speaker believes many OFWS and their families are “using unlisted prepaid SIMs because of the convenience of acquiring them.”