Senator Sherwin Gatchalian urged President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday to certify mandatory registration of prepaid subscribers identity mobile (SIM) cards, saying this policy would help control the increasing number of hoax bomb threats.
Gatchalian, the author of Senate Bill No. 203 or the "SIM Card Registration Act," also stressed the necessity of his bill as the country remains under a State of National Emergency on account of lawless violence in the wake of the tragic Davao City bombing.
He emphasized that since the bombing, a slew of bomb scares sent via text messages have cause commotions at several schools in areas such as Metro Manila and Davao City.
According to Gatchalian, the mandatory registration of prepaid mobile numbers will discourage ill-willed pranksters and allow us to punish those who currently perpetrate security scares through text messages with impunity.
Under the bill, all direct seller of prepaid SIM cards must compel prospective buyers to present a valid photo ID before completing the sale.
Current owners of prepaid SIM cards would be mandated to register themselves and their mobile numbers within 180 days from the effectivity of the law.
Existing SIM cards that are not registered within the 180-days period would be automatically scheduled for deactivation.
"This measure will empower law enforcement authorities to trace and suppress legitimate terror threats during these certain times," said the senator.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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