PBBM signs SIM Card Registration Act into law
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday signed the SIM Card Registration Act in an effort to stop the spread of text messaging frauds in the nation.
Vice President Sara Duterte, parliamentarians, and other government representatives were present as Marcos signed Republic Act No. (RA) 11934, popularly known as An Act Requiring the Registration of SIM Cards, at Malacañan Palace. This is the first piece of legislation passed by the Marcos government.
n a speech, Marcos thanked lawmakers from the Senate and House of Representatives for coming up with a “long overdue” measure seeking to resolve crimes using SIM cards.
“Truly, the legislation is going to be welcomed by many of our people especially now with reports of the commission of various crimes using mobile phones, including the proliferation of text scams and spam. Indeed with the signing of this law, we set the important tone that it is our national policy to ensure that technology shall only be used to improve our people’s lives,” Marcos said.
Marcos expressed hope that his administration would enact even more measures that would help ensure security, progress, and prosperity for the nation and people.
RA 11934, which is a consolidation of House Bill No. 14 and Senate Bill No. 1310, requires Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs) or direct sellers to demand end users of SIM cards to present a valid identification document to validate their identities.
It also requires PTEs to submit a verified list of their authorized dealers and agents nationwide to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and an update list of the same every quarter of each year.
The law mandates that all PTEs are required to maintain a SIM Card Registry of their subscribers containing information required under the new law.
It also provides provisions on Confidentiality and Non-disclosure of Information which prohibit disclosure of any information of a subscriber, unless upon subpoena or lawful order from a competent court or written request from law enforcement agency in relation to an ongoing investigation, that a particular number requested is used in the commission of a crime.
RA 11934 mandates that the confidentiality clause in the SIM card registration will take effect at the point of sale and the registration of existing pre-paid SIM card phone subscribers.
Subscribers who fail to comply with the prescribed period of registration will face automatic deactivation of services to the specific existing prepared SIM card.
Netizens weighed in on how the law might impact their lives. Some questioning the effectiveness of SIM card registration as a deterrent to crime, scams, and terrorism, while others expressed concerns over the security and privacy of their personal data. Still others fear the law might be used to target dissidents and activists who are law-abiding citizens but are critical of the government.
On the other hand, some welcomed the law as a strong weapon for stopping scams, fraud, kidnapping, troll farms, and fake news perpetrators.
