Senator seeks Duterte backing for SIM bills

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian. SCREENGRAB FROM INQUIRER.net

SEN. SHERWIN Gatchalian on Monday called on President Duterte to certify as urgent proposed bills requiring the registration of prepaid subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, saying this is key to stopping bomb scares spread through mobile phones in the wake of the Sept. 2 Davao City bombing.

In a statement, Gatchalian said it was a “necessity” to register prepaid SIM cards, particularly while the country remained under a state of national emergency following the night market blast which left 14 dead and dozens others wounded.

“Mandatory registration of prepaid mobile numbers will discourage ill-willed pranksters and allow us to punish those who currently perpetrate security scares through text message with impunity,” said Gatchalian, a member of the Senate committee on national defense and security.

Retroactive to users

“More importantly, this measure will empower law enforcement authorities to trace and suppress legitimate terror threats during these uncertain times,” he said.

Gatchalian earlier filed Senate Bill No. 203, or the SIM Card Registration Act, which requires anyone buying a prepaid card to present a valid photo ID.

The measure would take effect retroactively by requiring current owners of prepaid SIM cards to register within six months of enactment of the law.

The measure is parallel to a bill Senate Majority Leader Tito Sotto refiled in the Senate after it failed to pass in the Congress twice.

Sotto filed the proposal for the third time as he hit telecommunications firms for hindering its passage.

Sotto’s Senate Bill No. 7 requires ownership registration of prepaid SIM cards, a step that would allow easy tracing of mobile phone numbers that might be linked to criminal activity. Tarra Quismundo