The Senate of the Philippines approved the subscriber identity module (SIM) Registration bill on September 19, 2022, on the second reading, immediately after getting a 250-6-1 (yes-no-abstain) vote in the House of Representatives.
SIM Registration Act (Senate Bill No. 1310) was passed on second reading less than a week after Senate Public Services Committee Chairwoman Grace Poe introduced it on the Senate floor.
The title was one of the major amendments introduced to the measure. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III proposed renaming the bill to "An Act Mandating the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) for Electronic Devices, Regulating for this Purpose Its Registration and Use." The primary bill, House Bill 14, has the title, "Act Requiring The Registration of Subscriber Identity Module Cards."
Moreover, in the most recent version of the Senate bill, social media regulation has been removed to hasten its approval.
If enacted, the bill would require SIM card users to register their personal information with telcos or authorized card sellers by presenting a government-issued ID and signing in triplicate a numbered registration form, which indicates the subscriber's name, date of birth, gender, address, and the assigned mobile number.
Any information contained in the registration document is strictly confidential unless the subscriber grants access in writing.
Prior to the enactment of the proposed SIM Card Registration Act, SIM cards sold or issued will also be required to be registered.
Telcos are required to keep a registry of all subscribers and their SIM cards. They must provide the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) with a list of their authorized sellers and agents.
Meanwhile, a number of senators have recently expressed concern regarding the proliferation of spam and phishing text messages received by mobile users.
Also read:
This issue prompted the Senate public services committee to immediately address the SIM Card Registration bills filed in the 19th Congress.
In the 18th Congress, the bill was sent to Malacanang for the president's signature, but then-President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed it due to the provision of social media registration.
0 Comments