SIM card registration
THE 24-member Philippine Senate has approved on third and final reading a bill which calls for the mandatory registration of subscriber identiy module (SIM) cards.
The proposed piece of legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 2395, reflects the concern over the growing use of pre-paid mobile lines for criminal activities across the country.
Voting 22-0, members of the Upper House of Congress approved the bill which requires all public telecommunication companies to register all the SIM cards they sell.
Under the measure, which was approved by the Senate last Thursday, buyers have to submit a registration form and present a valid identification card upon purchase.
On December 6, the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading its version of the proposed legislation requiring the registration of all SIM cards.
Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, described the approval of the bill as “timely and fitting given that various technology-aided crimes are rampant in the country today.”
The bill penalizes the use of fictitious identities to register SIM cards, “spoofing” and the unauthorized sale of registered SIM cards.
People cannot overemphasize the importance of the proposed legislation. The approval of SB 2395 came 11 years after the measure was first introduced in Congress.
The Senate and the House of Representatives are on the right path in protecting the public against those who use the wonders of modern technology to victimize people.
