Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 3) — The Senate and the House of Representatives have ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed SIM Card Registration Act and have sent the bill to Malacañang for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.
The measure aims to eradicate phone-aided terrorism and criminal activities. It also requires all social media networks to get the real name and phone number of users upon creation of an account.
Both chambers of Congress on Wednesday ratified the report, which reconciled Senate Bill no. 2395 and House Bill no. 5793.
In a statement, Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the public services committee who led bicameral meeting, said among the provisions settled was “to mandate all public telecommunications entities (PTEs) to require the registration of SIM cards as a prerequisite to their sale and activation.”
Existing SIM card subscribers with active services are given 180 days from the day the law takes effect to register their account. Failure to comply with the requirement will lead to deactivation.
Sale of SIM cards to foreign nationals shall be allowed as long as they are able to provide certain requirements, like their passport and proof of address in the Philippines.
The PTEs will keep the data in a centralized database.
“Whatever information obtained in the registration process cannot be disclosed to any person except in compliance with any law authorizing disclosure, such as in the case of the Data Privacy Act; or in compliance with a court order or any other legal process; or with the written consent of the subscriber. No waiver of absolute confidentiality is allowed,” Poe said.
She also noted that the committee added an important provision mandating telecommunication and social media companies “to keep relevant data and information for 10 years from the time the end-user deactivates his or her mobile number or social media account.”
“We hope that by legislating this measure, we would be able to eradicate mobile phone, internet or electronic communication-aided criminal activities. This has been a long time coming but I hope that the passage of this bill will result in a safer and more secure mobile-use and cyberspace here in our country,” she added.
