Senator Manny Pacquiao is warning the public of a surge in text spams and is calling on his fellow lawmakers to pass a measure mandating the registration of SIM cards.
Pacquiao, who is running for president in 2022, also said scammer might take advantage of the May 2022 elections to “victimize people” by namedropping politicians via text messages.
He said in fact, his name and his foundation have been used in such scams.
Pacquiao said lawmakers should approve the measure on SIM registration before Congress takes a break for Christmas, so that President Rodrigo can sign in by January 2022.
He said doing so can prevent the said text scams.
Pacquiao is among the lawmakers who filed and supported Senate Bill No. 2395. The bill however, is still pending on second reading.
SIM registration is widely seen to counter text messaging-related crimes as the proliferation of “fake news.”
Lawmakers at the House of Representatives recently approved on third and final
reading its own version of the said bill.