Senator Grace Poe asked government agencies and stakeholders to come up with innovative solutions to address call and text scams.
Poe raised concern over the “dramatic increase” in scam calls during the first quarter of 2025 despite the implementation of SIM Card Registration Act.
“Executed at a massive scale and with high precision, voice phishing or vishing attacks prey on our unsuspecting kababayans that result in identity theft and financial losses,” she said.
“While not a silver bullet to the scamming menace, the law that we passed can go a long way in fighting cybercrimes,” said Poe.
She said scammers should be tried in court and punished, emphasizing that if no one is held accountable, perpetrators will be emboldened to continue with their illegal activities.
Senator Win Gatchalian earlier filed a resolution to conduct an inquiry into the continuous spread of text scams. He underscored the need to strengthen cybersecurity to combat scammers.
“Given the crucial role of technology in nation-building, it is essential to strengthen cybersecurity and verification measures and implement additional safeguards to combat the continuous proliferation of text scams in the country,” Gatchalian said, as he filed Resolution No. 1324 seeking to conduct an inquiry regarding the issue.
Meanwhile, Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to review the said law as text scams continued to proliferate.
Globe Telecommunications Inc. said it remains committed to implementing the law, but highlights the need for an official identification system.
Globe Telecom general counsel Froilan Castelo opposed the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) proposal to require in-person registration for SIM cards.
He said this requirement would go against the goal of making connectivity more convenient for Filipinos.