Lawmaker wants SIM Registration Act amended

Although the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act is barely two years old, House Assistant Majority Leader Richard Gomez wants it tweaked to further reduce cyber threats. Republic Act No. 11934, which was signed into law by President Marcos in October 2022 to curb cybercrimes, had the Leyte 4th district representative among the 250 congressmen who voted for its approval. In his new House Bill No. 10711 or the proposed “Anti-Blank SIM Card Act of 2024,” Gomez wants to address the misuse of unregistered or blank SIM cards.

“These SIM cards, sold without proper registration or activation, have become notable facilitators of fraudulent activities and cybercrimes,” he said. He added that his bill aims to “tackle this challenge head-on by prohibiting the sale of such unregistered SIM cards to enhance the security framework within the Philippine telecommunications sector.”