SIM card registration law to take effect before end of 2022, says Poe

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Grace Poe has said that the SIM Card Registration Act, which aims to fight text scams and spam, is expected to take effect on December 27.

Poe bared the timeline of the newly passed law on Wednesday as she defended at the Senate plenary the proposed P11.322 billion budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for 2023.

“It will be effective definitely December 27, so marami pa rin ang babati sa inyo ng Merry Christmas at hihingi ng auginaldo (so many people may still greet you a Merry Christmas and ask for monetary Christmas gifts),” she said.

While the SIM Card Registration law was enacted in October, its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) is still pending completion, according to the senator.

A public hearing with the DICT and other stakeholders will be held on December 5 to discuss the IRR, which is expected to be completed and released to the public by December 12.