OFFICE OF SENATOR RONALD "BATO" DELA ROSA
MANIFESTATION OF SUPPORT
SEN. JINGGOY ESTRADA'S PRIVILEGE SPEECH
TEXT SCAM

Mr. President, I join the good Senator from San Juan City, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, in his call to put a stop to the rampant text scam.

For the information of the body, I have filed Senate Resolution No. 69 on July 27, 2022 calling to investigate, in aid of legislation, the alarming rising number of text scams. This is in connection with one of my priority legislations for this Congress, Senate Bill No. 429 or SIM Card Registration Act which I filed on July 12, 2022.

Nakakalungkot, Mr. President, na kaakibat ng mas maunlad na teknolohiya ay ang pananamantala rito ng ilang masasamang loob. These deplorable criminals are taking advantage of the anonymous prepaid SIM cards to perpetrate evil crimes including taking the lives of innocent individuals.

Mr. President, last Congress, during my co-sponsorship speech of the SIM Card Registration bill, I mentioned instances of bombings triggered by prepaid SIM cards. To reiterate, on 27 January 2019, security footage of a bombing shows one of the bombers holding a mobile phone that was used to trigger bomb blasts that targeted two (2) churches in the south. On 04 September 2016, a blast in Davao City used a mobile phone to trigger an improvised explosive device detonation and on 26 January 2011, five (5) people were killed in Manila when a mortar ammunition triggered by a cellphone was detonated in a bus.

Aside from the use of unregistered prepaid SIM card in furtherance of their terroristic threats in our community, the criminals are using it to take the hard-earned money of our people. Kahit noong kasagsagan ng pandemya, hindi tumigil ang mga kawatan. Ang nakatatakot pa rito ay wala tayong kaalam-alam kung sino itong mga text scammer na ito. Nakababahalang tila nakuha nila ang mga pangalan ng mga nagmamay-ari ng mobile number ng kanilang tine-text.

Although the SIM card registration bill was vetoed last Congress due to constitutional infirmities, the Executive Department recognized the need to have "a more effective and strengthened legislative measure to address the increasing incidence of cybercrimes and information and communications technology-related offenses in this era of borderless interconnectivity and digitization."

Walang pinipiling oras o araw ang mga pasimuno ng kalokohang ito. Hindi nila alintana ang pandemya at wala silang pakialam kung mayaman o naghihikahos ang kanilang mabibiktima. Wala silang pinipili; walang pakialam; at higit sa lahat ay wala silang takot. Kung kaya, hinihikayat ko ang ating mga kasamahan sa Senado na bigyang pansin muli ang walang habas at walang patumanggang pangbu-budol sa ating mga kababayan!

Mr. President, mayroon ng isangdaan limampu't pitong (157) countries ang nagsabatas ng pagmamandato sa pagrehistro ng SIM card ayon sa datos ng Privacy International. Sa pangunguna ng ating mahusay na tagapangulo ng Komite ng Public Services na si Senator Grace Poe, naniniwala ako na bago matapos ang taon na ito ay mabibilang na ang ating bansa sa nasabing datos.

Protektahan po natin ang ating mga kababayan sa loob at labas ng cyberworld.

Maraming salamat po, Mr. President.