← BACK

JV Ejercito backs bill on mandatory SIM registration

September 13, 2022

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on Tuesday expressed his support for the passage of Senate Bill No. 1310, which seeks to require the registration of all postpaid and prepaid subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.

Ejercito, who co-sponsored the bill as vice chair of the Senate Committee on Public Services, said the SIM Registration Bill offers both an “immediate” and “long-term” solution to electronic communication-aided criminal activities, which are mostly characterized by security and privacy breaches.

“The surge of text scams or “smishing” is an affront to the integrity of our private communication and privacy. What’s more alarming is that this developed during a time when we are at our most vulnerable. The opportunists seemed to have taken advantage of this, especially when the government’s attention was focused on attending to COVID-19 response,” he said in his co-sponsorship speech.

“It was purposely done during a time when our people are jobless, hungry, and about to lose hope. It is such an evil and unforgivable act. Instead of helping our fellow countrymen recover economically, these scammers prey on them and take away what little money they have,” he added.

The lawmaker from San Juan cited a recent report from Globe Telecommunications, stating that it was able to block a total of 1.15 billion smishing messages, around 7,000 mobile numbers linked to scammers, and about 2,000 social media accounts and phishing sites in 2021.

For their part, PLDT and Smart Communications were able to block around 78,000 SIM-related smishing from January to May 2022.

Ejercito also noted that several public officials, including himself, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, other members of the Senate, and even President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., have recently received smishing messages.

“Nobody is safe and exempted from these illegal activities. If our Senate President and even our President were not spared from this evil deed, what more are our most vulnerable people in the society?” he said.

While recognizing the efforts of law enforcers to detect these criminal activities, Ejercito said the government should be “at the forefront” of cracking down on text scammers.

“In conversation like this, the government should be at the forefront. We should be able to say to our constituents that we are on top of the situation. However, until now, there is no clear action and solution from the concerned agencies,” he said. 

#

Stay Ahead with JV Ejercito: Get the Latest Updates,
Insights, and News


    ×

    Stay in touch

    Subscribe with JV Ejercito’s Newsletter: Get the Latest Updates, Insights, and News

      Full Name

      Email

      Mobile Number (Optional)