A group of consumers asked the government to reassess the Subscribers Identity Module (SIM) registration law as text scams remained prevalent despite the intervention of Republic Act 11934 almost two years ago.
“It would appear that RA 11934 [the SIM registration law] alone was a failure because cybercrimes are left uncurved and, in fact, becoming aggressive with the advent of modern technologies,” Pet Climaco, secretary general of advocacy group Konsyumer at Mamamayan, said in a statement.
Climaco called for a continued evaluation of the law. “We urge the government to keep assessing whether the SIM registration law is truly working. Just because we have a law in place doesn’t mean we should simply leave it at that,” he said.
Despite the law’s implementation, Philippine National Police data showed a 21.8-percent increase in cybercrimes in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Climaco emphasized the need for regular reviews to ensure the law remains effective in the face of evolving digital threats.
“We believe it’s best to regularly evaluate the law, perhaps every six months. After the technical working group reviews the implementing rules and regulations, we can assess whether we need to make adjustments because it seems we’re still being outsmarted,” he said.
