Palace press officer, Undersecretary Claire Castro, on Thursday highlighted the need for revisions to the SIM Card Registration Act.
In response to Senator Risa Hontiveros’s warning about text message scams, Castro suggested that it would be more effective if SIM card registrations were conducted in person.
“But as a lawyer, kailangan po talaga na magkaroon ng amyenda especially doon sa SIM card registration. Kailangan po na ang pag-register dito katulad po kapag kayo ay kumukuha ng driver’s license — personal po kayong pumupunta,” Castro said at a Malacañang press briefing.
“Kahit kapag pumunta po kayo at kumuha ng NBI clearance, pumupunta po kayo ng personal. Kakayanin po natin ito na ma-rehistro 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 identity. Mahihirapan po tayong sugpuin ang krimen kapag po ganoon ang nangyari,” she explained.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, into law in 2022. The law mandates the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards.
The law aims to eliminate crimes that utilize messaging as their platform.