4 lawmakers refile mandatory SIM card registration measure
FOUR lawmakers have refiled a bill requiring the registration of all subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. In House Bill (HB) No. 14, Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos of Ilocos Norte, and Tingog Reps Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre said currently only SIM cards for postpaid mobile or cellular phone subscriptions are required to be registered.
The bill seeks to require ownership registration of SIM cards to eradicate mobile phone-aided criminal activities.
The lawmakers said the affordability and accessibility of SIM cards “have resulted in the democratization of mobile communications, possibly contributing to a more leveled playing field in terms of employment, education and access to public information.”
They said a SIM card could be bought for as low as P30 from a sarisari or convenience store.
The lawmakers also cited a 2020 World Bank report showing that there were 137 cellular phone subscriptions per 100 Filipinos, indicating many Filipinos had more than one subscription or mobile phone.
On April 14, 2022, former President Duterte vetoed the consolidated House Bills No. 5793 and Senate Bill No. 2395, otherwise known as the SIM Card Registration Bill.
The Palace said Duterte opted to veto the bill as the proposal included social media, “which was not part of the original version of the bill.” It said the Palace hopes lawmakers could still be able to come out with a better version of the bill, which will be “consistent with the demands of the Constitution.”
Moreover, the authors of the bill said having an unregulated SIM card market has also given way to several mobile phone scams.
“The cases range from simple text messages asking users to send cellular loads, to more sophisticated voice phishing methods and marketing spams that are used to gain unauthorized access to sensitive personal information of unsuspecting mobile phone users,” the explanatory note said.
It noted that cellular phone service providers have blocked millions of text messages and SIM cards due to complaints from subscribers.
“Furthermore, due to the lack of SIM card registration, it becomes nearly impossible to trace the persons behind the text scams and hold them accountable for fraud, breach of data privacy or other punishable offenses that they committed using an unknown mobile number,” it added.
It said that the time “has come to regulate the sale and distribution of SIM cards in order to promote enduser accountability, prevent the proliferation of mobile phone scams and data breaches, and to assist law enforcement agencies in resolving crimes involving the use of mobile phone units.”
Under HB 14, every public telecommunications entity (PTE) or authorized seller shall require an end user to accomplish and sign in triplicate a numbered registration form issued by the PTE.
The form shall include an attestation that the person appearing before the seller is the same person who accomplished the document and that he presented valid identification cards.
The PTE or its authorized seller shall not sell a SIM card if the end user refuses to comply with the registration requirement, which will also apply to foreigners.