TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan: The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) in collaboration with public telecommunication companies (telcos) will scour remote areas for the subscriber identity module (SIM) card registration.

Lawyer Myra de Guzman-Palattao, NTC Region 2 legal officer, said the Inter-Agency Task Force that was formed nationwide has identified the remote areas for SIM card registration.

According to Palattao, the top five remote areas in the Cagayan Valley region are the towns of Divilacan, Maconacon and Palanan in Isabela; Cabarroguis in Quirino; and Kayapa in Nueva Vizcaya.

'The group will contact barangay (village) chairmen and local government units to fix the schedule and the required manpower for the activity,' she said.

Palattao added that the schedule of the telcos should synchronize with that of the NTC for a more effective conduct of SIM card registration in the remote areas.

Meanwhile, the NTC clarified information circulating in social media that SIM card registration empties e-wallets such as GCash, among others.

Palattao said the loss of e-wallet funds after registration may have been coincidental.

'This is the reason why it is necessary to register a SIM card to filter and become more secure, and to make it easier to identify scammers,' she added.

Palattao said users are advised to register within the registration period to avoid deactivation.

Under the SIM Card Registration Act or Republic Act 11934, the registration period will be until April 26, 2023 and may be extended for 120 days or until Aug. 24, 2023.

The NTC said there are more than 21 million already registered subscribers, which is only 12 percent of the 169 million subscribers nationwide.