Manila – The House of Representatives has approved on second reading House Bill 14, known as the ‘SIM Card Registration Bill,’ which seeks to register all prepaid and postpaid Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards to combat scammers & related crimes.
The bill, principally authored by Speaker Martin Romualdez was passed on Wednesday, Sept 14, 2022. The bill will be sent to the Senate after it passed third reading.
When passed into law,it will mandate telecommunications companies (Telco’s) along with their sellers to have buyers fillout their information (birthday, address, gender, with valid photo).
It will also require SIM card buyers to present their assigned mobile and serial numbers, and will not be allowed to purchase if they fail to provide the said information.
The bill also states that the registration documents will be also be confidential for control measures.
However, to gain access of the registration documents, subscribers must present written letters, or court orders, or written requests from law enforcement offices with investigations.
Failure of authorized dealers and Telcos to comply will be fined from P5,000 to as high as P1 million, commensurate to violations found by the authorities.
According to the bill, government officials who will not enforce the law may also be fined or penalized.
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