Senators on Tuesday, June 18, have asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) not to simply make excuses but to be more proactive in addressing what can be called a "text scam pandemic" that is paralyzing the country's systems.

This was after the NTC said in a statement that the SIM Registration Act was not a "silver bullet" against messaging scams, but one of the most important tools for law enforcement authorities because it provides legal sanctions for SIM-aided offenses.
 

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian recently scored the NTC for its failure to implement provisions of the SIM registration law leading scammers involved in various Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to perpetrate various fraud and scamming activities.

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said that instead of simply mouthing excuses, the NTC should explain why they have been ineffective and what if at all, they need to enable them to effectively combat and eliminate text scams.

Asked if NTC will be liable for the ineffective implementation of the SIM Card Registration Act, he replied: "Unfortunately no...albeit it may constitute non-feasance in office… but as I said, they should help us help them by saying what else they need to perform their mandate."

Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe expressed disappointment over the text spams and scams which have become the "new normal".

"The SIM Registration Act was meant to be a joint effort by all government agencies and sectors with NTC at the helm leading the fight against text scams," she said. in a statement.

"Ano ba ang nagawa (What have they done) against bad actors, including those in POGO hubs who were caught with text blast machines and other violations?"

She mentioned how the agency needs to account for its "actions or lack thereof." 

"We are not even receiving text scam advisories anymore which is the barest minimum of their duties," she added.

Poe also stated that telcos are required to provide user-friendly mechanisms to report spams and scams. 

"Pero sa dami ng dapat i-click at i-submit, users are discouraged to report. Ikaw na nga ang nabiktima, ikaw pa ang mahihirapan (Because of the so many things you have to click and submit, users get discouraged to report. You're the one who was victimized, yet you're the one who suffers)," she said.

"The war against text scams should be a shared burden between NTC and the telcos. Surely, they are capable of devising a more straightforward mechanism that clearly shows immediate action on the users' concerns and filters against text blast softwares," she added.

Poe also stated that teaching users about spam filters should also be included in the agency's continuous information campaign.

She called on the NTC to be more proactive than the scammers. 

"It should lead the fight against it and not just stand idly by as this text scam pandemic continues to paralyze our systems," she added.