Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde lauded the signing into law of the SIM Card Registration bill, which he said could help protect ordinary Filipinos from text scams that have become more frequent since the pandemic.
“Taumbayan ang makikinabang kapag na-implementa natin nang maayos ang batas na ito—at mukhang posible naman dahil nagkakasundo ang mga stakeholder sa pangangailangan sa batas na ito,” Atayde said.
Atayde, who is one of the authors of the measure, said that the challenge now lies in ensuring that the SIM Card Registration law’s implementing rules and regulations address gaps and concerns raised by other sectors.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday signed the law in Malacañang.
The newly-signed law requires the registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards with public telecommunications entities (PTEs).
PTEs or direct sellers shall also require users to present a valid identification document with a photo. The former shall also disclose the full name and address of the users as contained in the registration should a court issue a subpoena or order.
Meanwhile, law enforcers investigating crimes committed through phones may also request access to the information of the SIM card owner concerned.
Atayde, who is one of the authors of the measure, said that the challenge now lies in ensuring that the SIM Card Registration law’s implementing rules and regulations address gaps and concerns raised by other sectors.
“Foremost among these is instituting guarantees and mechanisms to ensure that the data our PTEs collected is protected. We must also take steps to ensure that SIM cards will still be accessible to the poor,” said the neophyte lawmaker.
He also underscored the need for future-proofing the law, as technology and the means through which perpetrators commit digital crimes are ever-evolving.
“There remains the possibility that criminals move on to using other forms of messaging to get around the law, thus we must be able to have enough flexibility to respond to these challenges in the future,” the solon said.
