The government’s SIM Card Registration Act has failed to fully address the proliferation of prank calls and illegal online gaming operations in the country, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remilla said.
In a Palace briefing on Tuesday, January 21, Remulla said that the lack of integration between the national ID system and telecommunications companies has allowed individuals to purchase multiple SIM cards, enabling them to evade detection.
Remulla also noted that existing protocols were not enough to address the 60 percent of the prank calls that 911 received due to the lack of integration of the national ID system.
“Ang problema kasi, hindi pa integrated ang national ID system sa mga telco natin. So, kaya nag-proliferate ang mga POGO dahil iyong SIM Card Registration Act na ginawa natin na hindi naging masyadong effective kasi walang National ID na attached,” Remulla said.
“So, minsan ang isang tao, isandaan ang SIM card niya na nabibili. So, that has to be integrated also,” he added.
When asked about measures to handle prank calls, Remulla confirmed that the issue is being closely monitored.
In June 2024, the National Telecommunications Commission pledged to tackle issues related to POGO-linked scams.
The NTC particularly acknowledged that the government still faces challenges in implementing the SIM Registration Law.
“The NTC fully acknowledges the call of our legislators on the need to further strengthen not only the law, but also its enforcement, to which the NTC remains committed. Although the SIM Registration Act is not a silver bullet against messaging scams, it is nevertheless one of the most important tools for our law enforcement authorities because it provides legal sanctions for SIM-aided offenses,” NTC said.
In 2022, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure requiring the registration of Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), aiming to promote accountability in their use.
The SIM Registration Act, or Republic Act 11934, seeks to curb crimes such as text and online scams by regulating the sale and use of SIM cards, requiring registration by end-users. (TCSP)
