MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police-Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) has pushed for amendments to the SIM Card Registration Act, saying that despite its passage, almost all recent cybercrime cases in the country still involve subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards.
PNP-ACG director Maj. Gen. Wilson Casil Asueta made the suggestion during a press briefing on Tuesday after reporting that authorities arrested a 26-year-old man in Obando, Bulacan, on Aug. 24 for the illegal sale of around 400 registered SIM cards.
“Our SIM Card Registration Act is not being implemented effectively. We need new provisions so we are appealing to our legislators for the immediate passage of amended laws for this purpose,” Asueta said.
According to him, cyberspace crimes involving SIM cards include scamming, online gambling and identity exploitation.
READ: NBI: 4 nabbed for selling pre-registered SIM cards, online scam
“I can honestly say that almost all cybercrimes committed start with SIM cards. That is our problem. It is difficult for us to monitor because there are so many lacking provisions and our laws, including the SIM Card Registration Act, are no longer applicable,” Asueta said.
Among the amendments being proposed by the PNP-ACG are identity authentication and the activation of SIM cards only after successful authentication and registration.
Preferred ID
“If possible, we should only use one ID, our national ID which comes with biometric information,” Asueta said.
He also suggested limiting SIM card ownership to a maximum of five per person and monitoring the distribution and redistribution of SIM cards.
President Marcos signed the SIM Card Registration Act, or Republic Act No. 11934, in 2022 to provide “accountability in the use of SIM cards and aid law enforcers in tracking perpetrators of crimes committed through phones.”
RA 11934 was also aimed at “significantly boosting government initiatives against scams committed through text and online messages.”
Under the law, telco companies and direct sellers must ask for a valid ID from SIM card buyers.
Those who already owned a SIM card before RA 11934 took effect were also required to register the card with telcos within a certain period or else, it would be deactivated.
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Penalties were also listed for those who registered a SIM card using false or fake information, as well as those who used the SIM card for illegal activities. /cb
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