Malacañang is open to amending the laws governing SIM card registration to address rising concerns over scams, identity theft, and criminal activities.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro confirmed this in a press briefing on Thursday, February 27, amid reports of rampant misuse of SIM cards, including their sale to criminal syndicates.
“As a lawyer, kailangan po talaga na magkaroon ng amyenda especially doon sa SIM card registration,” Castro said.
“Kakayanin po natin ito magrehistro nang tama ang mga SIM cards para maiwasan po iyong mga ganitong klaseng scams na kahit na lang sino ay bumibili ng SIM card; may bayad, bumibili sa iba, binibenta ang kanilang identify, mahihirapan po tayong sugpuin ang krimen kapag po ganoon ang nangyari,” Castro added.
However, the proposal for in-person SIM card registration raised questions about its alignment with the Marcos administration’s push for digitalization. Requiring physical appearances might contradict the government’s goal of digitizing 95% of public transactions.
Castro further highlighted the risks of online registration, noting that it could lead to fraudulent activities, such as the bulk registration and sale of SIM cards to criminal groups.
“Mas dapat paigtingin natin iyong tamang pagrehistro. Kasi po kapag ito naman ay ginawa nating online, mangyayari po ulit itong nangyari na maling pagrirehistro, kahit sino na lamang po ay nagri-rehistro, maraming binibilang SIM cars at ibinibenta sa mga sindikato. Iyon po ang dapat nating ayusin. So, dapat po talaga kung magrirehistro ng SIM card, dapat personal,” Castro said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law the SIM Registration Act, officially known as Republic Act 11934 in 2022, which mandates the registration of Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) to promote accountability in their use
The law aims to curb crimes facilitated through SIMs, such as text and online scams, by regulating the sale and usage of SIM cards and requiring end-users to register them.
However, by June 2024, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) acknowledged ongoing challenges in implementing the law.
While the NTC reaffirmed its commitment to addressing POGO-related scam activities, it clarified that the SIM Registration Act is not a “silver bullet” solution to messaging scams, highlighting the need for further improvements to tackle these issues effectively. (TCSP)
