Soto organized campaign to override SIM card bill veto

Senate President Vicente C. Soto III said on Monday that it hopes to “save” the proposed SIM card registration law, ignoring President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s veto of 18 years ago.^M Congress closed.

“I was going to call Executive Secretary Bingbong (Salvador C.) Mediaaldia, and I would tell him that the only way to get around this is to have both houses of Congress overturn the president’s veto and then dislike him.” Has been questioned by the Supreme Court, and we can ask the Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional, “according to a transcript issued from the office of a briefing he conducted.

“But again, prepaid SIM cards must be registered because it is part of the law,” he added. “It will become a law that subtracts the provision that Malakang does not want.”

Mr Sotto, who is currently running for vice-president, said the proposal to seek a constitutional challenge could be overridden by May 23 if approved by the president. Congress could overturn a veto by a two-thirds vote, effectively preventing the president from passing a law that has significant support from lawmakers, both in the House and the Senate.

The bill was designed to prevent terrorism, fraud and active blackmail by anonymous providers provided by unregistered phones.

Mr Sotto said the Philippines is one of the few countries that requires the registration of a prepaid subscriber identity module (SIM) card, which prevents criminal investigations.

“I think the president’s veto (because of the need to register for it) is on social media. I think it’s a matter of how it was interpreted, why it was included in the revision, “said Mr Soto. The original version of the proposed measure did not have a veto provision.

Presidential spokesman, Jose Martin M. Andaner said Mr Duterte did not approve of the social media registration provision, which he feared could pave the way for surveillance by violating constitutional rights.

According to the combined version of Senate Bill 2395 and House Bill 5793, the basic provision of the law remains as a requirement for all telecommunication companies to register their SIM card for sale.

Representative Victor A. Yap, who heads the chamber’s information and communications technology committee, asked the palace to provide a clear description of the provisions in the bill that it found objectionable.

“Freedom of speech is not an absolute right. The government has the power … even the responsibility to control it for the common good of its citizens, “said Mr. Yap, the bill’s primary author and entrepreneur, in a statement Monday.

“There is nothing in the bill that restricts freedom of speech or invades the privacy of any individual,” he said, adding that the measure seeks to establish accountability in the digital and online communities as is done in “real life”.

Mr Yap said the passage of the bill addresses the ever-evolving security concerns, especially information and communication technology, which is becoming increasingly widespread.

One of the co-authors of the bill was Senator Sherwin T. Gachalian said he would continue to try to pass legislation when he returned to office in May, citing the need to prevent fraud in digital activities.

“This is one of the first things I will present when we return to the Senate,” he said in a statement on Monday.

He noted that social media is currently being used to carry out a number of malicious activities, including troll attacks, of which he has been a victim.

“On the other hand, I am open to fixing the law to be clear. But theoretically, only real people should register on social media, “he said.

He said criminals are taking advantage of the opportunity to keep their identities secret and have undermined consumer confidence in online and digital transactions.

Mr Gachalian said the bill seeks to promote accountability and provides measures that make it harder for criminals to engage in criminal activities aimed at mobile phones, the Internet or electronic communications.

It will also give law enforcement agencies the tools to set up evidence trails during their investigations, he added. – Alyssa Nicole and. Tan