Gatchalian vows to refile SIM Card Registration bill if re-elected

Re-electionist Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has vowed to refile the measure seeking the mandatory registration of mobile phone subscriber identity module (SIM) cards if he wins in the May 9 elections.

Gatchalian, author of Senate Bill 176 or an Act Requiring The Registration of All Users of Pre-Paid SIM Cards, issued the remark after President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the bill.

In a statement on Friday, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said Duterte believes the proposed bill needs further study.

In response, Gatchalian said criminals have been abusing the anonymity to carry out their illegal activities and this thus reduces the confidence of the public to use their mobile phones in doing digital transactions out of fear of fraudsters.

The bill, he said, seeks to promote accountability in the use of SIM cards and sets mechanisms that will make it difficult for criminals to commit mobile phone, internet, or electronic communication-aided criminal activities.

At the same time, it will help provide law enforcement agencies with tools to deter the commission of wrongdoings and come up with needed evidence trails that can easily lead to the resolution of cases, Gatchalian said.

Further, Gatchalian said there is also a need to separate the legislation on social media from the same bill after a more thorough and comprehensive discussion.

“Ito ang isa sa mga una kong ihahain ‘pag tayo ay nakabalik sa Senado. Pero ihihiwalay ko ang panukala para sa social media para mas malalim at mas komprehensibo ‘yung detalye pagdating sa pagmamandato nito,” he said in a statement on Monday.

“Aminado ako na ang social media ay nagagamit ngayon sa maraming hindi magagandang bagay. Unang una, yung mga troll, ako mismo nabiktima. Aatakihin ka at sisirain ang puri mo.”

(This is one of the first things I will do when I get back to the Senate. But I will separate the proposal for social media so the details for its mandate would be deeper and more comprehensive. I admit that social media is now being used for a lot of bad things. First of all, I myself was a victim of the trolls. They will attack and dishonor you.)

In February, the Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the measure requiring the registration of SIM cards.

The measure mandates all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) to require the registration of SIM cards as a prerequisite to their sale and activation.

It also provides that all social media networks should require the real name and phone number of users upon the creation of their accounts. —Giselle Ombay/KBK, GMA News