Gov’t urged to reassess SIM registration law amid text scams

A consumer group has urged the government to reassess the Subscribers Identity Module (SIM) Registration Law or Republic Act 11934 amid the continued prevalence of text scams.

“It would appear that RA 11934 alone was a failure because cybercrimes are left uncurbed and, in fact, becoming aggressive with the advent of modern technologies,” said Pet Climaco, secretary general of Konsyumer at Mamamayan.

“Panawagan namin na patuloy na magkaroon ng assessment ang gobyerno sa SIM Registration Law kung talaga bang nagwo-work na ito o hindi. Hindi porke’t nagkaroon na ng isang batas (ang sasabihin na lang natin) pabayaan na natin ‘yan,” he said.

“Pinagmamayabang natin (‘yung SIM Registration Law) pero anong nangyari, andami pa ring mga naglipana na scammers sa text at saka sa cellphone,” he added.

Despite the implementation of the law, the Philippine National Police reported that the number of cybercrimes increased by 21.8% in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.

Climaco pointed out that it is a must to review the law from time to time to ascertain its efficiency and amid a fast changing digital innovations.

“Sa palagay namin, pinakamainam niyan, palagi nating pag-aralan ang batas maybe every six months…’yung bang ginawa ng TWG (Technical Working Group) na IRR after 6 months ay still working? From there, masasabi natin na upgrade uli tayo kasi nalulusutan pa rin tayo,” he said.

Senator Win Gatchalian earlier said it is considering introducing amendments to the SIM Registration Act, signed into law in October 2022, amid the widespread use of SIM cards for fraud and scamming.

Meanwhile, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) admitted that the SIM Registration Law is not a “silver bullet” against text scams as it continues to face several challenges in its implementation.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/AOL, GMA Integrated News