President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the bill that seeks to require the registration of SIM cards as a way to curb criminal activities, Malacañang said Friday, citing the need to further study the inclusion of social media providers.
Aside from the registration of SIM cards, the bill also mandates social media platforms to require users to register their real names and phone numbers before the creation of their accounts.
The said provision of the bill was found by the President to be in need of "more thorough study" since it was not part of the original version of the bill, Communications Sec. Martin Andanar said.
"The President similarly found that certain aspects of state intrusion, or the regulation thereof, have not been duly defined, discussed, or threshed out in the enrolled bill, with regard to social media registration," Andanar said in a statement released on Good Friday.
Duterte was "constrained to disagree" with the inclusion of the provision on social media according to Andanar since there is a need for "proper guidelines and definitions" because it could "give rise to a situation of dangerous state intrusion and surveillance threatening many constitutionally protected rights."
"We ask Congress not to lose heart in passing effective and strengthened measures that offer our citizens a safe and secure online environment, provided that the same would stand judicial scrutiny," Andanar said.
The vetoed measure proposes that telcos and other public telecommunication entities need to require the registration of SIM cards before they are sold and activated to deter communication-aided crimes like terrorism, text scams, bank fraud, among others.
Subscribers will be required to submit a registration form containing their full name, date of birth, address, and present a valid government ID or similar documents to verify their identity before purchasing a SIM card.
Sellers may refuse the sale of SIM cards if the buyer would not comply with the registration.