As text scams persist despite the implementation of the SIM Card Registration Act, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the law must be amended for effective implementation.

“We will also strive to fix the law regarding this because currently, the law regarding SIM card registration is one of the reasons why these types of text scams still occur. This should be reviewed again so that this law can be effective,” Castro said.

She cited that the ease of SIM card registration has led to issues such as false registration, citing an instance where monkeys were reportedly able to register SIM cards.

“This is really a violation of our law. But it would be better to discuss carefully how this law can be fixed,” Castro said.

The Palace official suggested implementing SIM card registration similar to driver’s license and NBI Clearance applications, requiring individuals to physically register their SIM cards at a government office to prevent crime.

“As a lawyer, there really needs to be an amendment, especially in SIM card registration... We will be able to register SIM cards correctly to prevent these types of scams where anyone buys a SIM card; there is a fee, buys from others, sells their identity, we will have a hard time suppressing crime if that happens,” Castro said.

She also stressed that SIM card registration should be done in person.

“If we do this online, the same thing will happen again, with false registrations, anyone registering, many SIM cards being bought and sold to syndicates. That’s what we need to fix, so if you’re registering a SIM card, it should be done in person,” Castro said.