The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group is urging lawmakers to amend the SIM Registration Act so applicants use the national ID and biometric authentication before a mobile number is activated.
PNP-ACG director Maj. Gen. Wilson Asueta said the current registration system has not stopped the use of SIM cards in scams and other online crimes. He proposed making the Philippine Identification System credential the primary registration document and verifying the person against its biometrics.
Asueta also proposed limiting ownership to five SIM cards per person across telecommunications providers. Registered SIMs would require documentation before they could be transferred, and a subscriber would need to cancel an existing card before receiving a replacement.
The call followed an entrapment operation in Obando, Bulacan, where police arrested a 26-year-old man accused of selling registered SIM cards through social media. Officers said they recovered approximately 400 cards.
Republic Act 11934 currently requires telecommunications providers to collect subscriber information before activation and accepts a range of government-issued identity documents. The PNP proposal would narrow that process around the national ID and add a direct biometric authentication step.
The existing rules also require providers to maintain SIM registers and deactivate cards that are not registered. Asueta’s proposal focuses on strengthening the identity proof attached to each entry rather than replacing the provider-operated registries.
PhilSys already supports face authentication for remote bank account opening, allowing a participating institution to verify a customer against the national identity system without relying on a photographed identity card.
Other financial institutions have also connected onboarding to national ID authentication for regulated services. Extending the model to SIM registration would place telecommunications enrollment within the same government-backed verification infrastructure.
The Anti-Cybercrime Group recorded 5,231 cybercrime cases from January through July, according to the government broadcaster Radyo Pilipinas. During that period, the unit conducted 818 operations, arrested 766 people and reported 81 convictions.
Any change to the registration requirements would require action from lawmakers and subsequent implementation by telecommunications providers and regulators. The PNP-ACG has framed the proposal as an amendment to the existing law rather than an administrative change to current registration portals.
Sources: Radyo Pilipinas, Philippine News Agency
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By Ali Nassar-Smith
