BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA – A House member has proposed to record the identities of prepaid SIM card buyers.
House Bill 3928 introduced by Cong. Winston Castelo mandates SIM card buyers to present valid identification cards upon purchase.
Authorized dealers/agents will be required to submit to public telecommunications entities (PTEs) the names and addresses of buyers.
PTEs, in turn, must submit said lists to the National Telecommunications Commission.
Castelo said his proposal will help law enforcement agencies “hunt down crime perpetrators who take refuge in anonymity.”
“Criminals practically go invisible in carrying out their malevolent plots of communicating their evil designs to co-conspirators, communicating threats or sending text messages of ransom demands,” said Castelo.
The measure penalizes any PTE guilty violating the provisions of the proposed law.
The penalties include a fine between P50,000 to P300,000 and six months imprisonment./PN
