President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has vetoed the measure seeking the mandatory registration of all SIM cards of mobile phone users, the Malacañang announced Friday.
In a statement, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said Duterte believes that the proposed SIM Card Registration Act needs further study.
"The President noted that the inclusion of social media providers in the registration requirement was not part of the original version of the bill and needs a more thorough study. Prior versions only mandated the registration of SIM cards," 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," he added.
The consolidated Senate Bill No. 2395 and House Bill No. 5793, which was ratified by Congress on February 2, 2022, aim to mandate all public telecommunications entities to require the registration of SIM cards as a prerequisite to their sale and activation.
It also requires social media networks to get the real names and phone numbers of users upon creation of their accounts
