Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla stated at a presidential press conference that the SIM card registration law has limited effectiveness in combating illegal activities, especially in crimes related to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
Remulla revealed that 60% of calls to the 911 emergency hotline are prank calls. He noted that this phenomenon might be related to the ineffective implementation of the SIM card registration law.
"The problem is that the national ID system has not yet been integrated with the telecommunications companies. The POGO issue remains rampant because the SIM card registration law has not been effective, partly due to the lack of integration with the national ID," Remulla said. He further pointed out that some individuals could easily purchase up to 100 SIM cards, a loophole that urgently needs to be addressed.
In 2022, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos signed the SIM Registration Act (Republic Act 11934), which aims to curb crimes related to SMS and online scams by requiring users to register their SIM card information. However, Remulla believes that this law alone is insufficient to fully address the issue.
He emphasized that the original intent of the SIM registration law was to increase user accountability by strictly regulating the sale and use of SIM cards. However, in practice, the law faces many implementation challenges, especially in dealing with scams related to POGO.
The National Telecommunications Commission promised in June 2024 to take further measures to address related issues, while acknowledging that the SIM registration law is not a "panacea" for combating SMS scams.
To address the social and economic issues brought by POGO, President Marcos has ordered a complete ban on the industry's operations in the Philippines. Despite this, illegal activities related to POGO continue to some extent, highlighting the need for stricter regulation and multi-sector cooperation.
Remulla calls for further strengthening of legislation and law enforcement, including integrating the SIM registration system with the national ID system, to comprehensively curb criminal activities and protect public safety.
