Ni NOEL ABUEL
Kung si Senate President Vicente Sotto III ang tatanungin ay nais nitong tanggalin ang social media at internet na nakapaloob sa Senate Bill (SB) 176 o ang “Act Requiring The Registration Of All Users of Pre-Paid Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Cards” na ayaw ng Malacañang kung kaya’t na-veto ito ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.
“I think the veto of the President is the inclusion of a provision regarding the internet. Social media. I think it’s a matter of how it was explain why it was included in the period of amendments eh. So now that, well it’s water under the bridge dahil vineto ng Presidente,” sabi ni Sotto.
Idinagdag pa ni Sotto na nakatakda nitong kausapin ni Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea para hanapan ng solusyon na masagip ang nasabing panukala.
“I was about to call Secretary Bingbong Medialdea because I am trying to find a way to save the bill. Because the important thing about the bill is that prepaid simcard registrations are very vital to be able to stop the bombings, the blackmail, scams using the prepaid simcards. So especially lahat ng nakita natin,” paliwanag nito.
Sinabi pa ni Sotto na batid naman ng lahat na karamihan ng kaso ng pambobomba na nangyari sa ibang bansa ay ginamitan ng cell phone kung kaya’t dapat na ikonsidera na magkaroon ang Pilipinas na batas na maghihigpit sa pagbebenta ng sim cards.
“I think 90% ng mga bombings, not only in the Philippines but in the world, ang ginagamit yung triggering cellphones. Ang ginagamit mga prepaid simcards because it’s untraceable. So we are one of the very few countries in the world that does not mandate the registration of prepaid sim cards,” aniya pa.
“Sa ibang bansa, mahigpit kailangan may passport ka, may national ID ka, may government ID issued ka para you’ll be able to secure a prepaid simcard. Kailangan naka-register ka. In other words, there should be a starting point ng paghahanap sa simcard kung ito ay nagamit into something illegal, di ba, ‘yung mga scam, ‘yung mga ganu’n. So very vital ‘yun,” dagdag nito.
Apela pa ni Sotto sa susunod na 19th Congress ay ihahain muli ng mga kongresista at senador ang orihinal na panukala.
“Alisin na ang ayaw ng President because my original bill didn’t contain that vetoed provision eh. The original bill also of Senator Lacson didn’t contain the veto provision. You must remember, well for a point of information, as early as 1998 when I was the chairman of the Committee on Public Services in the Senate, which is the committee on franchises, public services, transportation, ‘yun ang committee noong araw, 1998. I already espouse the registration of simcards. Noon pa lang sinasabi ko na kasi noon pa lang ginagamit na sa mga scam eh, di ba?” dagdag pa ni Sotto.
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