Just a week after Congress approved the second reading of House Bill 5793, also known as the SIM Registration Act, the House Bill has been approved on its third and final reading, which brings us a step closer to the bill becoming a law.

Under the said measure, all public telecommunication entities (PTEs) or direct sellers of SIM cards will require buyers to present a valid ID for proof of identity and will have to sign a control-numbered registration form that is issued by sellers. The sellers, on their end, are required to maintain a SIM card register of their subscribers and are obliged to update DICT every six months.

Information that will be required from the end-user will include their full name, date of birth, gender, and address that matches their valid ID.

Aside from requiring SIM cards to be registered, the SIM Registration act will help law enforcement agencies in the Philippines track down criminals that use postpaid and prepaid SIM cards.

To protect SIM card owners, the bill has a confidentiality clause where subscribers’ information cannot be disclosed unless there’s a subpoena or a lawful order from the court. Those to fail to comply with the SIM card registration will risk SIM card deactivation.

Various agencies in the Philippines have long been pushing for the mandatory registration of SIM cards in light of the increasing number of scammers victimizing people.