Filipinos may no longer receive random text messages from anonymous senders saying that they won thousands or millions of pesos from raffles they didn't join in.
This is only one of the many fraudulent activities sought to be addressed by a bill proposing to mandate the registration of all subscriber identity module (SIM) card numbers in the Philippines, which has reached the Senate plenary on Tuesday, September 14.
Senate Bill No. 2395, or the proposed “SIM Card Registration Act”, was endorsed by Senator Grace Poe during the upper chamber's plenary session, with several of the senators expressing their support for the bill.
Aside from text scams, the senator said that unregistered SIM cards can also be used to facilitate other crimes such as terrorism, cyberbank heists, and the proliferation of unsolicited, even indecent or obscene messages, as well as and the dissemination of massive disinformation campaigns.
“Criminals have taken advantage of our lax system to freely carry out their despicable schemes and evade the long arm of the law. The fact that these crimes are flourishing under the current system only proves that the system is flawed and needs to be changed,” Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services, said in her sponsorship speech.
The legislation, she said, would also be timely as most transactions have gone digital amid the persisting COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
“Our reliance on our mobile phones for various financial and personal transactions requires us legislators to ensure that digital connectivity is safe for all users,” said Poe.
Under the bill, all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) shall make the registration of all SIM cards a prerequisite to their sale. Subscribers must submit a registration form accomplished electronically and present a valid identification card.
The registration forms shall be stored by PTEs in a centralized database that can be accessed by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The bill proposes penalties for failure to comply with the registration requirement, for using fictitious identities to register SIM cards, spoofing and the unauthorized sale of registered SIM cards.
The breach of confidentiality shall also be slapped with penalties under the measure.
The NTC shall be in charge of the record keeping of the information in accordance with the provisions of the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
“Ang mga impormasyong makakalap ay maaari lamang makuha ng mga awtoridad sa utos ng isang korte (All the information gathered can only be accessed by authorities through a court order). It will only be given upon finding of probable cause that a specific mobile number was or is being used in the commission of a crime, or that it was utilized as a means to commit a malicious, fraudulent or unlawful act,” Poe explained.
In co-sponsoring the bill, Senate President Vicente Sotto III thanked Poe for "finally giving the light of day to this proposal that has been languishing not only in the Senate but also in the House of Representatives."
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, one of the principal authors of the bill, stressed the prevalence of text scams and SIM card-aided crimes in the Philippines. He said 155 out of 201 countries have already mandated such registration.
Aside from crime-fighting, the registration would also help in giving consumers more access to e-government services and creating opportunities for e-commerce.
Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa also backed the passage as a deterrent against bombings and other terrorist acts.
"It is a huge step to deter the commission of crimes in the country," said Dela Rosa, a former police chief.