Press Release
September 17, 2021

Dela Rosa supports bill on mandatory SIM card registration to deter online crime

SENATOR Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa has given his support and called for the passage of Senate Bill No. 2395, or the SIM Card Registration Act, which mandates the registration of SIM, or subscriber identity or identification module, cards as a prerequisite for their sale.

In his co-sponsorship speech, Dela Rosa said the mandatory registration of SIM cards would deter the commission of online frauds or crimes.

"With the proposed measure...SIM card registration shall now be mandatory as a prerequisite for the sale thereof, including all existing SIM card subscribers with active services who shall likewise be required to register with their respective Public Telecommunications Entity," Dela Rosa said.

The former Chief of the Philippine National Police noted that cellphones are now being used by scammers and terrorist elements in their illegal activities.

SIM cards are installed in cellphones to electronically transmit and receive communications through various forms, styles, and settings.

He recalled that last year, at least 10 riders delivered P20,000 worth of food items to a subdivision resident in Las Piñas City who claimed to have not placed any order through a food delivery App.

"Sadly, when these instances happen, there is no way we could identify the perpetrator and, thus, our delivery riders are left with no choice but to bear the burden of losing their hard-earned money," Dela Rosa said.

The Mindanaoan Senator said that cellphones are also being used in bombing activities of suspected terrorists, like the incident on January 27, 2019 where security footage showed one of the bombers was holding the mobile phone believed to have been used to trigger the blast that targeted 2 churches in MIndanao.

He also recalled that on September 4, 2016, a mobile phone was used to detonate an improvised bomb in Davao City, and on January 26, 2011, 5 people were killed in a bus in Manila when a mortar was exploded through the use of a cellphone.

Dela Rosa, chairman of the Upper Chamber's Public Order and Dangerous Drugs committee, lamented that by using unregistered SIM cards, criminal elements can conveniently hide their identities because "once the prepaid SIM card is disposed, there is no way for us to identify the perpetrator."

"It (SBN 2395) is a huge step to deter the commission of crimes in the country, As the famous saying goes, 'Prevention is better than cure'," Dela Rosa said.

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