PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. has called on members of the 227,000-strong force and all peace-loving Filipinos to support Republic Act No 11934 which has made the registration of cellphone Subscriber Identification Module or SIM card compulsory in a move to fight text scams, online frauds and terror.

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. signed into law the measure after a controversial provision requiring social media users to register their real names and phone numbers was dropped.

Gen. Azurin said they join all peace-loving Filipinos in supporting the letter and intent of RA 11934 which was passed into law on October 10, 2022.

Upon the effectivity of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 11934 issued by the National Telecommunication Commission thru Memorandum Circular No. 001-12-2022, the 180-day registration period has commenced to allow mobile phone subscribers the convenient opportunity to register their SIM as required by the law.

“As Chief of the PNP, I am directing all 227,000 PNP officers and rank-and-file to sign up for the ongoing mandatory national SIM registration. I am also directing the PNP Directorate for Information Communications Technology Management to monitor the compliance of our personnel for this purpose,” the top cop said.

Gen. Azurin likewise encouraged his men to tell their families and household members to fully support the new law. “I encourage as well all the force multipliers of the PNP and the civic sectors to join hands in ensuring the success of this national objective to keep our telecommunications secure and beyond the reach of criminal elements,” he added.

“Over the years, new threats of crimes involving technology have emerged and victimized citizens thereby creating some sense of insecurity in all our cyber transactions.

Criminal elements have even entered the privacy of personal communications to advance their illicit motives,” the PNP chief explained.

“Through this timely and relevant legislation, we are closing all windows of opportunity for criminal elements to take advantage by soliciting the immediate compliance to the law of all mobile phone users. Rest assured that the PNP, under my leadership, will do all our best within our authority and mandate to make this happen,” he said.

Under the new law, users are required to show photo identification and complete a registration form with their personal details before buying a SIM card. The measure has been touted as a key step in combatting spam and scam text messages, which usually include offers of fake jobs or promises of prize money.

“This legislation is going to be welcomed by many of our people, especially now with reports of the commission of various crimes using mobile phones, including proliferation of text scams and spam,” said President Marcos Jr. after signing his first law since assuming the presidency last June 30.

The Philippines’ population of 110 million people relies heavily on mobile devices for various daily needs. As of last year, there were more than 156 million cellular mobile connections as many Filipinos use more than one SIM card.

Over the years, users often buy prepaid SIM cards over the counter which are purchased without the buyer giving their name or address. In fact, The Philippines is widely known as a country where a SIM card can be bought like candy in a store.

In many public markets and ‘sari-sari stores,’ three SIM cards are offered for sale for P100 with no questions asked. This has enabled many scammers and con artists to use pre-paid SIM cards to victimize people without being caught since they could easily get rid of their numbers once their modus operandi had been blown.

What’s worse is that pre-paid SIM cards before have been used to detonate powerful improvised explosive devices similar to what happened during the infamous Rizal Day terror bombings attributed to the Jemaah Islamiyah in Metro Manila on December 30, 2000 which killed 22 people and injured over 100 others.

The new law which is also set to penalize those who use false information when registering, will be applied to tens of millions of existing users, who have to give their details to the telecom providers within a certain time period or risk being disconnected.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy saidthe NCT has set the prescribed time for disconnection following consultations with the telcos which will also prepare the systems.

Gen. Azurin said the new law will help tackle cybercrimes. “Telecommunication has been revolutionized extensively over the years, such that even criminal syndicates and terrorist organizations have taken advantage of technology for criminal and terrorist activities.

“They hid behind the comfort of anonymity by using prepaid SIM cards to defraud unsuspecting victims,” he said.