Alan Cayetano to NTC: Focus on stricter implementation of SIM registration law
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday, September 15 urged the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to focus on enhancing the process and implementing stricter mechanisms for SIM registration rather than temporarily discontinuing it.
“Hindi itigil muna—higpitan nila (Don’t stop it—rather make the process stricter,” Cayetano said in an interview with reporters.
“Mas dadami pa ang loko-loko dyan ‘pag walang registration (There would be more scammers if we stop the registration),” the senator warned.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Friday morning suggested temporarily halting the SIM registration as the online registration system accepts fake identities and information.
During a Senate hearing, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that its Cybercrime Division had conducted a test and managed to register a SIM card using a photo of a smiling monkey.
Cayetano said the NCT can thwart such actions by setting an example and hunting down at least five persons who have committed such acts and filing a case against them.
The lawmaker also urged the NCT to coordinate with other agencies like the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Information Communication Technology (DICT) which have established tried-and-tested online systems.
Likewise, the senator suggested that the SIM registration be integrated into the National ID system to make the verification simpler and more reliable.
While it is nearly impossible to avoid security breaches, the SIM registration process can be sucessful through the national ID system.
The NTC should also report to Congress whatever lapses are in the SIM Registration law so lawmakers can fine tune it.
“We’re humans. Later on probably even AI (artificial intelligence) can register their own SIM cards – we don’t know. But if we solve 99 percent of the problem, that’s already okay,” he said.