DTI cheers passage of SIM registration law

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Saturday lauded the passage of the landmark law that will mandate all SIM (subscriber identification module) card users in the Philippines to register their personal information, citing that its consumer protection division will now be in a better position to go after text scammers.

Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo, who heads the department’s consumer protection group, said during DTI’s Saturday radio program that they had been waiting for a long time for the passage of this law.

“Through this law, the DTI will be able to trace through the consumer protection group those who are scamming using text messaging systems,” Castelo said.

The DTI official cited the frequency of text scams these days as well as unscrupulous persons targeting to rip off consumers.

President Marcos signed on Oct. 10 Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Card Registration Act, becoming the first law to be signed under this administration.

The signing of the law came amid rising reports of smishing, which is defined as the criminal act of sending text messages to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, or to download malicious programs, such as ransomware.

Anna Mae Lamentillo, assistant secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, said they were working on the implementing rules and regulations that would cover the finer details of the law.