MANILA, Jan. 10 -- Telecommunications companies (telcos) must work harder in encouraging mobile phone users to register their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards to avoid the usual cramming when deadline nears.

As of the Jan. 9 data, just over 16 million SIM cards or around 9 percent of 168 million users of the three major telcos have registered, according to Sen. Grace Poe, principal author of Republic Act 11934 or the SIM Registration Act,

"Telcos must ramp up their drive to encourage subscribers to register. No amount of days will be enough if most of the over 100 million phone users will sign up at the last minute," Poe said in a statement on Tuesday.

The first legislation passed into law in the 19th Congress, RA 11934 requires ...