BY Katrina Gracia Consebido
The Philippine National Police welcomed the enactment of the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act or Republic Act. No. 11934 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
In a statement on Tuesday, Oct. 11, PNP Chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. said the law will “undoubtedly add more teeth to law enforcement” by establishing accurate identification of mobile phone users.
“We are confident that our people will learn to accept the fact that the benefits of mandatory SIM card registration for all mobile phone users outweigh the perceived privacy issues and other concerns regarding the confidentiality of communications that are duly protected under Philippine laws,” he said.
The PNP also noted the utilization of technology by criminal and terrorist organizations for their illegal activities.
“They have different modus operandi to scam people of their hard-earned money. They hid behind the comfort of anonymity by using prepaid SIM cards to defraud unsuspecting victims,” Azurin said.
The Anti-Cybercrime Group has recorded a total of 4, 254 SIM card-related offenses from January to September. -ag
