Image Credit: AP
Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vetoed a proposed legislation approved by both chambers of Philippine Congress seeking to mandate the registration of all SIM cards and social media accounts in the country, his spokesperson announced Friday (April 15, 2022).
The bill known as SIM Card Registration Act, aimed to address SIM card-based fraud and other crimes aided by SIM cards, as well as fight the rise of online trolls, has been vetoed by the chief executive, Acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said Friday.
2 reasons for veto
Andanar said Duterte objected to a number of provisions, including:
(1) The inclusion of social media providers in the registration requirement, which “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 in a statement.
(2) “The President similarly found that certain aspects of state…