Bill mandating 'additional documentation' for pawning mobile phones filed by House lawmaker

A bill mandating additional documentation for pawning smart phones has been filed in the House of Representatives.

House Bill 7969 mandates establishments buying second-hand mobile phones to ask the seller to obtain a clearance from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) before acquiring the item. 

Under the bill, the pawning establishments should also secure a clearance or permit from the station commander of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the town or city where they are located before buying the item.

“These requirements may appear to be cumbersome, but they are necessary to prevent the rise in street crimes involving the stealing of smartphones, which not only lead to loss of property but, in some unfortunate cases, to loss of  lives as well,” said the bill's author Bicol Saro party-list Representative Brian Yamsuan.

“Street crimes involving cell phone theft appear to have increased when pawnshops started accepting smartphones as pawned items,” added Yamsuan who is also a former assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Yamsuan also cited that in 2019 alone, the NTC received a total of 34,353 cell phone blocking requests and concerns.

“These [instances] indicate that these goods were lost or stolen,” Yamsuan said.

Under the bill, any establishment that fails to get the necessary clearance and proof of purchase or ownership before accepting or buying a second-hand mobile phone will be held liable for violating the Anti-Fencing Law and its permit or license to operate shall be revoked, as proposed under the bill. —VAL, GMA Integrated News