Sen. Win Gatchalian on Monday urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to take immediate action against the rampant sale of pre-registered SIM cards, warning that the holiday season could bring a surge in scams and financial crimes using unregulated numbers.

“I am calling on the NTC and DICT to use everything in their power to compel the telcos to come up with mechanisms that would identify the subscribers. You need to come up with an innovative solution. We cannot allow this to continue. The law is already there,” Gatchalian said.

During a recent Senate hearing on the agencies’ proposed budgets for next year, the senator presented photos showing pre-registered SIM cards openly sold on online marketplaces such as Facebook and Shopee.

“We need to put an end to this. This has been tackled for a long time, especially now that the Christmas season is approaching,” he added.

As one of the authors of the SIM Registration Act, Gatchalian emphasized that the law’s goal — to help law enforcement track individuals involved in financial crimes and online scams — has not been fully realized.

He lamented that pre-registered SIMs remain easily accessible to anyone, undermining the intent of the law.

The senator urged both DICT and NTC to implement stricter regulations and innovative verification systems to ensure telcos properly identify subscribers, warning that failure to act could lead to a rise in scams during the holiday rush.