Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he is confident that the newly-signed SIM Registration Act would now become the most important tool law enforcement authorities can use against text scammers.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed the measure into law on Monday, October 10. With its enactment into law, mandatory SIM registration will now become one of the most important tools that authorities can use to arrest the rising incidence of spam and phishing text messages.
“The SIM Registration Act was finally signed into law 9 years since I first filed this bill in 2013 when I was still a congressman,” Gatchalian said of the law.
“Tapos na ang masasayang araw ng mga kriminal, manloloko, nang-aabuso, nangha-harass, pati na din ang mga nagpapadala ng mga spam at phishing text messages (It is now the end for criminals, abusers, harassers and even those who send spam and phishing text messages),” he said.
The landmark legislation, he also said, puts the Philippines on the right path amid a global rush towards technology-related innovation in the age of digitalization.
“We hope that this measure will further encourage more businesses to embrace digitalization and enhance e-commerce and financial technology (FinTech) adoption, supportive of the government’s economic recovery agenda,” the senator said.
In a separate statement, Sen. Joel Villanueva echoed Gatchalian’s view saying the passage of the SIM Registration Act into law is not just Marcos administration’s victory but consumers’ victory against text scammers who continue to take advantage of our fellow Filipinos.
“We thank Pres. Bongbong Marcos and our colleagues in the Senate and the House of Representatives for urgently passing this law. As author and co-sponsor, we are truly thankful that we were able to pass this through political will and the shared desire to serve our countrymen,” Villanueva said.
“Indeed, the signing of this landmark and very first law passed this 19th Congress is a testament to our commitment to bring about genuine reforms and pass important legislations through and despite diverse political views,” he stressed.