President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the proposed Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act due to the inclusion of social media in the measure that has yet to be studied further, Malacañang confirmed on Friday, April 15.
In a statement, acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar said the “inclusion of social media providers in the registration requirement was not part of the original version of the bill” which only covered SIM card registration.
“The President similarly found that certain aspects of state intrusion, or the regulation thereof, have not been duly defined, discussed, or threshed out in the enrolled bill, with regard to social media registration,” he said.
“[He] was constrained to disagree with the inclusion of social media in the measure, without providing proper guidelines and definitions thereto, as the same may give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights,” he added.
The Palace, nonetheless, commended the move of Congress to seek means to address the rising number of offenses related to cybercrime and information and communications technology.
“It is incumbent upon the Office of the President to ensure that any statute is consistent with the demands of the Constitution, such as those which guarantee individual privacy and free speech,” Andanar said.
“This notwithstanding, we ask Congress not to lose heart in passing effective and strengthened measures that offer our citizens a safe and secure online environment, provided that the same would stand judicial scrutiny,” he added.
Congress ratified in early February the bicameral conference committee report on House Bill 5793 and Senate Bill 2395 for the proposed law. AG – bny
