Poe on SIM card registration bill veto:

We count on Congress to act in a timely manner in reconsidering the bill for approval in accordance with the legislative process.

Each day without the safeguards from the measure makes our people vulnerable to ripoffs that take away their money and cause them anxiety; the onslaught of cybercrimes and fake news that tear away the fabric of our democracy.

Our laws and jurisprudence confirm that freedom of expression is not absolute, as in the cases of obscenity, libel or when public safety and order are at stake.

Being a content-neutral regulation, the bill upholds the Supreme Court ruling in Chavez vs. Gonzales (2008) where "only a substantial governmental interest is required for its validity. Because regulations of this type are not designed to suppress any particular message, they are not subject to the strictest form of judicial scrutiny but an intermediate approach." The SIM card registration bill passes the test of constitutionality based on such criteria.

The veto highlights the need for ongoing efforts, both public and private, to find effective ways to protect our citizens and our democracy.

We shall remain firm and committed in our pursuit to end electronic and mobile phone-aided criminal activities and guarantee a safer and more secure mobile phone and cyberspace use in the country.