Palace exec sees need to amend SIM registration law

A Palace official expressed belief Thursday that there is a need to amend the SIM Card Registration Act.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said it would be better if the registration of the SIM cards will be ''personal.'' This came after Senator Risa Hontiveros raised alarm over the apparent resurgence of scamming operations through text messages.

''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 press briefing.

(As s a lawyer, there is a need to amend especially the SIM card registration. We need to register similar to how we get a driver's license where we go there personally.)

''Kahit kapag pumunta po kayo at kumuha ng NBI clearance, pumupunta po kayo ng personal. 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,'' she explained.

(Even if you get an NBI clearance, you go there in person. We can properly register our SIM cards so that we can avoid these scams wherein anyone can just buy a SIM card, they can buy anywhere and they sell their identity, it would be hard for us to eradicate crime if this happens.)

It was in 2022 when President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. signed into law a measure seeking the registration of Subscriber Identity Module, which aims to promote accountability in the use of SIMs.

The SIM Registration Act or Republic Act 11934 seeks to end crimes using the platform including text and online scams by regulating the sale and the use of SIMs through mandating registration to end-users.

In June 2024, the National Telecommunications Commission made a commitment to address the concerns on POGO-related scamming activities as it admitted that the SIM Registration Law, which it said is not a "silver bullet" against messaging scams, continues to face several challenges in its implementation. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News