Aloha Everyone,
Effective December 27, 2022 until April 27, 2023, everyone who has a Philippine cellular phone must register their SIM card through a telecommunication company. This means your phone number and your identity will be controlled by the government.A long line is beginning to form at retail telco stores to comply with this new regulation. As of now, there is no monetary cost associated with this registration. However, J.J. feels the government could require an annual fee as a way to impose new taxes.
The two of us are spared since our departure from the Philippines is prior to the April 27 deadline.
On a related topic, we paid less than US $80 for 1 1/2 months of telephone usage and WiFi access using a private router. There are challenges using this system but, in the USA, we are under contract and irregardless of if we are in the USA or traveling out of the country, we pay approximately $80 per month.
Aloha -- Cathi