THE Senate of the Philippines approved Senate Bill No. 1310, or the SIM Registration Bill, on third reading–making it the first third reading approval of the Senate this 19th Congress.
“The SIM Registration Act is a weapon to foil the evolving use of this device in criminal activities. As scams to harm the public rapidly change, so must the regulatory antidotes to them,” said Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, who principally authored and co-sponsored the bill.
“Itong batas na ito ang isa sa mga panlaban sa malawakang pambubudol sa ating mamamayan gamit ang text messages. Bilyon ang nawawala sa malawakang holdap na ito.
“So it can be said that this is a legislative app that society can use in winning the budol fights. This bill will destroy the hiding places of those who are able to conduct cybercrimes anonymously.”
Last August, Zubiri himself disclosed to the public that a couple of scammers had targeted him. Having obtained his personal mobile number, the scammers posed as public officials and attempted to extort money for a bogus political convention.
A version of the SIM Registration Act, also authored by Zubiri, had successfully been approved by the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 18th Congress, but was vetoed by the previous administration.
“In drafting this bill, care has been made that in stopping criminals, we will not be encroaching on the rights of the people or imposing additional inconveniences on them,” Zubiri assured. “The registration must be easy and hassle-free, and data collected in the registry must be fire-walled against hacks.”
“This is bill is not a delete button that will wipe out in one press all illegal acts done via cellphones. Isa lang ito sa menu ng dapat gawin–one of which is implementation, because laws are only as good and as effective as their enforcement.”
“Matakot na sana ‘yung mga scammer, kapag naging batas na ito. It’s time to catch the scammers, the spammers, and the mobile hoodlums who try to take advantage of our innocent public. Your days are numbered, and you will be exposed soon. “This is a step in the right direction. Protecting the public is our primordial concern and this law will help our security services track down criminals and possible terrorist threats by using unregistered numbers to do their dirty work.”
