Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2411
HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill contemplates on enabling law enforcement agencies to go after lawless users of
cellular phone numbers with unregistered SIM that allow them to consummate their
nefarious schemes undetected. By taking advantage of the facility of cellular phones with
unregistered SIM, criminals practically go invisible in carrying out their malevolent plots of
communicating their evil designs to co-conspirators, communicating threats or sending SMS
messages of ransom demands, or sending hoax winning-from-commercial-promos
messages to dupe unsuspecting victims of their hard earned money.

Law enforcement agencies should be equipped with the tool necessary to track down such
criminals by enabling them to trace users of cellular phone numbers. By recording the
identity of all buyers of prepaid subscriber identity module (SIM) packs for cellular
telephones and requiring public telecommunications companies to keep record of these
buyers of aiding law enforcement agencies in the investigation of an illegal activity
‘engendered by such tools of communication, law enforcement agencies shall be able to hunt
down crime perpetrators who take refuge in anonymity.

The swift passage of this bill is thus earnestly sought.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.__ 2411

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

AN ACT
REQUIRING THE RECORDING OF THE IDENTITY OF ALL BUYERS OF PREPAID
SUBSCRIBER IDENTITY MODULE (SIM) CARDS FOR CELLULAR TELEPHONE UNITS
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Public Telecommunications Entities (PTE’s) are hereby required to
ensure that the identity of buyers of their prepaid SIM cards is properly recorded and their
addresses verified through the presentation of valid identification cards. If the sale of said
SIM cards is done through agents, PTE’s shall ensure that said agents submit to them the
verified names and addresses of the buyers within fifteen (15) days from date of sale.

SECTION 2. Public Telecommunications Entities shall submit to the National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC), within thirty (30) days from the date of effectivity of
this Act, a verified list of their current authorized dealers/agents nationwide. Thereafter,
PTE's shall submit to the NTC on a quarterly basis an updated list of the same.

SECTION 3. Upon the issuance of a proper court order or a valid request from a
government law enforcement agency showing proof that a particular cellular phone number
was used in the commission of a crime or for an illegal purpose, the Telecommunications
Service Provider shall be mandated to reveal the identity and personal circumstances of the
user of such number.

SECTION 4. The following penalties shall be imposed on any Public
Telecommunications Entity found guilty of violating any provision of this Act:

For the first offense: A fine of Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00);

For the second offense: A fine of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00;

For the third offense: A fine of Three Hundred Thousand Pesos (P300,000.00) and
Imprisonment ranging from one month to six months
If a PTE continues to violate any of the provisions of this Act two years after its effectivity, the PTE’s
franchise shall be immediately revoked

SECTION 5. Within six (6) months from the approval of this Act, The National
Telecommunications Commission shall issue the necessary rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of this Act.

SECTION 6. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations inconsistent
with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed accordingly.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation which comes earlier.

Approved,