MANILA, Philippines ? Registering prepaid call and text cards will help fight crime, Dangerous Drugs Board Chairman Vicente Sotto III said as he urged telecommunications companies to do so.

Sotto said registration of call and text cards will make it easier for authorities to track down illegal activities.

He said most of the illegal-drugs transactions are carried on through pre-paid cards, including heinous crimes such as kidnapping.

?The law must oblige telecom companies to report and register their pre-paid call and text cards to discourage the use of it for criminal activities,? Sotto said.

He further explained that the registration of telecom companies? pre-paid call and text cards will also give the government a capability to monitor their revenues.

?The proposed five- or ten-centavo tax on text is just an unnecessary and an undue burden to the public since the proposed tax transfers the liability to the people that should be shouldered by the telecom companies through their highly profitable pre-paid call and text cards,? Sotto stressed.

Meanwhile, the DDB encourages the public to report all illegal-drugs activities in their areas through DDB 24-hour Action Center with mobile numbers: 0928-NO DRUGS, 0917-NO DRUGS, and hotline number 929-6623. The DDB vows confidentiality to all personalities who will provide information.