The House of Representatives committee on information and communications technology on Monday approved a consolidated measure requiring the registration of all postpaid and prepaid mobile phone subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.
The panel, chaired by Navotas Rep. Toby M. Tiangco approved several measures under House Bill (HB) 14, 59, 116, 506, 794, 841, 951, 1528, 2113, 2478, 2819, 2923, 3299, and 3327 introduced by Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez (Tingog Party-list), Sandro Marcos, Jude Acidre, Jaime Fresnedi, Roy Loyola, Edvic Yap, Eric Go Yap, Paolo Duterte, Rex Gatchalian, Christian Tell Yap, Roman Romulo, Luis Raymund Villafuerte, Jr., Miguel Luis Villafuerte, Virgilio Lacson, Keith Micah Tan, Tiangco, Rufus Rodriguez and Edwin Olivarez, respectively to require SIM card registration to lessen scams and criminal activities.
“The mother bill is HB No. 14 filed by Speaker Martin Romualdez, the exact version approved in the last Congress,” Tiangco said who led in approving the consolidated measure.
This developed as Romualdez, Rep. Yedda Romualdez, Marcos and Acidre 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.”
The consolidated bill was approved on third and final reading in the previous 18th Congress.
It was Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales who moved for the consolidation of the several measures on SIM card registration.
Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda invoked Rule 10, Section 48 in swiftly approving the consolidated bill that authorizes the committees of the House of Representatives to dispose of priority measures already filed and approved on third reading in the immediately preceding Congress.
At present, only SIM cards for postpaid mobile or cellular phone subscriptions are required to be registered.
Lawmakers 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.
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.
HB 14 imposes penalties. If the offense is committed by a PTE, the president and other responsible officers shall be held liable and fined up to P300,000 for the first offense, up to P500,000 for the
second offense and up to P1 million for the third and any succeeding violation.
Senator Win Gatchalian meanwile filed a resolution calling for an investigation on the proliferation of spam and phishing text messages.
Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee has set a hearing on Wednesday to tackle the proliferation of text scams.
Poe said they will also deliberate on more importantly to deliberate on the SIM registration Act.
While major telecommunications providers claim to have already blocked a significant number of spam and phishing text messages, Gatchalian said the problem continues to hound many telco subscribers. With Macon Ramos-Araneta
