All efforts to make the SIM Registration Bill a law come to a halt, as President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed the bill, the Malacañang announced today. Despite the law being in the works for several years already, Duterte cited a number of concerns regarding the bill’s current iteration

While the SIM Registration Bill seeks to curb crimes associated with using multiple sim cards and to fight against online trolls, Duterte said that the inclusion of social media providers as a requirement for registering “was not part of the original version of the bill and needs a more thorough study.”

In a statement, acting Presidential Spokesperson Martin Andanar added that the original version of the bill was limited to 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.”

As for Duterte’s contention regarding the inclusion of social media, Andanar explained that without proper guidelines, this may “give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights.”

To recall, the proposal of including social media accounts as part of the SIM Registration bill stemmed from the influx of hoax orders that has victimized several delivery riders with bogus transactions. Under the proposed SIM Registration bill, those who use fictitious identities to register for social media accounts can be penalized with a fine of up to P200,000, at least 6 years jail time, or both.