Biazon reinstates SIM Card Registration Law
After the PNP and AFP confirmed that a cellular phone was used to press the bomb for explosion, Ruffy Biazon once again reinstate the need for a mandatory registration of SIM (subscriber identity module) cards.
According to Biazon, the registration of SIM cards, whether prepaid or postpaid will be a “good countermeasure against terrorist attacks using cell phone-triggered bombs, making it more tedious for bombers to acquire SIM cards and provide a lead for investigators.”
Biazon proposed that every time a SIM pack is purchased, the person buying it shall present a valid ID as proof of identity and address as stated on his authored House Bill 92. The data shall be included in the database of subscribers of the telecommunications companies and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
Aside from bombing threats, Biazon said that SIM card registration will make it possible for authorities to address the issue of cell phones being used to commit crime such as kidnapping, blackmail, and even bombings.
On the question of privacy, Biazon told that the proposed law on SIM registration will “not violate the privacy of communications since the content of the conversations using the cell phones will not be revealed nor does the proposal intend or authorize the eavesdropping of cell phone conversations.”