Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan of Bicol Saro party-list wants establishments accepting used smartphones as pawned goods to require proof of ownership or purchase.
The lawmaker said this is meant to prevent street crimes involving the theft of these items.
Yamsuan filed House Bill (HB) 7969 where pawnshops or other establishments buying second-hand telecommunications equipment such as mobile phones are also required to ask the seller to obtain the necessary clearance from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to sell or pawn the article.
The establishment should also secure a clearance or permit from the station commander of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the town or city where it is located before buying the item, the bill provides.
“These requirements may appear to be cumbersome, but they are necessary to prevent the rise in street crimes involving the stealing of smartphones, which not only lead to loss of property but, in some unfortunate cases, to loss of lives as well,” said Yamsuan, a former assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Street crimes involving cellphone theft appear to have increased when pawnshops started accepting smartphones as pawned items, Yamsuan said.
In 2019, the NTC received a total of 34,353 cell phone blocking requests and concerns, which indicate that these goods were lost or stolen. This number corresponds to an average of 2,863 cellphone blocking requests per month.
HB 7969, which Yamsuan filed with Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte, aims to amend Presidential Decree No,. 1612 or the Anti-Fencing Law to include provisions requiring establishments to be stricter and more circumspect in accepting smartphones and other telecommunications gadgets being sold of pawned.
Any establishment that fails to get the necessary clearance and proof of purchase or ownership before accepting or buying a second-hand mobile phone shall be held liable for violating the Anti-Fencing Law and its permit or license to operate shall be revoked, as proposed under the bill.