Legislative History of R.A.

11934 (SIM Registration Act)

The Philippines has recently passed R.A. 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, which mandates the
registration of all subscriber identity module (SIM) cards with public telecommunications entities. Under
the law, end-users must register their SIM cards within 180 days from the implementation of the law, and
foreigners are required to provide additional details such as nationality and proof of address. 1

The SIM card registration process started on Dec. 27, 2022, and data from the DICT show that
there are about 168.98 million subscribers nationwide.2 Before implementing the law, NTC received
51,874 text scam complaints or around 1,500 daily, but after the registration, complaints reduced to 8,700,
according to NTC Commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez.3 As of February 26, over 35 million Subscriber
Identity Module (SIM) cards have been registered in the Philippines, but this is only 20.91% of the total
number of SIMs in the country. Smart Communications Inc. has registered 26.71%, Globe Telecom has
completed 16.45%, and Dito Telecommunity has reached 20.74%. The government remains confident in
the success of the mandatory registration, and assisted registrations are ongoing to help Filipinos comply
with the law.4

The enactment of a law that requires the registration of SIM cards in the Philippines can be traced
back to the 13th Congress, when the first bill on this matter was filed. 5 Over the years, several other bills
were introduced in subsequent Congresses with similar objectives, but none of them were successfully
passed into law. It was only during the 19th Congress when the SIM Card Registration Act was finally
approved and signed by President Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos Jr.

Duterte vetoed the first ratified version of the SIM Card Registration Bill

In April 2022, then-President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the first ratified version of SIM card
registration bill by the 18th Congress because it also included mandatory registration of social media
accounts. Duterte’s former Communications Secretary, Martin Andanar, said that the former President

1
Dy (2022). Key points on the new SIM Registration Act. Mata-Perez, Tamayo & Francisco. Retrieved from
https://mtfcounsel.com/2022/10/27/sim-registration-act/
2
Neil. (2023, February 21). Dict sticks to SIM card registration deadline. BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved from
https://www.bworldonline.com/corporate/2023/02/21/505893/dict-sticks-to-sim-card-registration-deadline/
3 Id.
4 Abarca, C. (2023, February 26). Unregistered SIM cards still at 133.6m. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from

https://mb.com.ph/2023/02/26/unregistered-sim-cards-still-at-133-6m/
5
H. No. 2559, 13th Cong., 1st Sess. (2004)
was worried that the registration of social media users might lead to “dangerous state intrusion and
surveillance, threatening many constitutionally protected rights.”6

SIM Card Registration Act in the 19th Congress

The mother bill, House Bill No. 14, where R.A. 11934 originated, as introduced by Speaker
Martin Romualdez et al, is the same version that was approved from the previous Congress but without
the mandatory registration of social media accounts.7

House Bill/Resolution No. HB00014 is entitled as “An Act Requiring the Registration of
Subscriber Identity Module Cards” or “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act” and it
was filed on June 30, 2022, before the 19th Congress of the Philippines. The bill was primarily authored
by Representatives Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, Ferdinand Alexander
A. Marcos, among others.

On July 26, 2022, the Committee on Rules referred House Bill No. 14 to the Committee on
Information and Communications Technology. The Committee on Information and Communications
Technology submitted Committee Report No. 00030 on September 12, 2022, recommending the approval
of the bill without amendments.

The bill went through the second reading on September 13 and 14, 2022, with sponsorship from
Tiangco, Marcos, and Acidre. On September 19, 2022, the bill was approved by the House on third
reading with a vote of 250 yeas, 6 nays, and 1 abstention. It was transmitted to the Senate on September
20, 2022, with a final title of "An Act Requiring the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module Cards."8

The Senate counterpart of House Bill No. 14 is Senate Bill No. 1310.

It was filed by Senators Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri, Grace Poe, Win Gatchalian, Joel
Villanueva, Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, Jinggoy E. Estrada, Cynthia A. Villar,
Maria Lourdes Nancy S. Binay, Christopher Lawrence T. Go, Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino, Imee R.
Marcos, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., and Pia S. Cayetano in the first regular session of the 19th Congress on
September 13, 2022.

On the same date, Senator Grace Poe sponsored the bill, which was transferred from the Calendar
for Ordinary Business to the Calendar for Special Order. The bill was approved on second reading with
amendments on September 19, 2022, and approved on third reading on September 27, 2022, with 20
senators voting in favor. Conferees were designated to the Bicameral Conference Committee to resolve
disagreements between the Senate and the House of Representatives versions of the bill, and on
September 28, 2022, the Senate sent a request for concurrence to the House of Representatives. 9

6 Corrales. (2022, October 9). SIM card law may be first to be signed by Marcos | Inquirer News. Retrieved from
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1677282/sim-card-law-may-be-first-to-be-signed-by-marcos
7 HOUSE PANEL OKs MANDATORY SIM CARD REGISTRATION. (2022, September 5). Congress.gov. Retrieved from

https://www.congress.gov.ph/press/details.php?pressid=12227.
8 H. No. 14, 19th Cong., 1st Regular Session (2022)
9 Senate of the Philippines, Senate Bill No. 1310 Legislative History (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=19&q=SBN-1310.
 On September 27, 2022, the request was agreed upon to form a conference committee with
members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The members of the House of
Representatives included Tiangco, Marcos, Acidre, Gatchalian, Romulo, Almario, and Enciso, while the
members of the Senate were Poe, Ejercito, Binay, Gatchalian, and Pimentel. On October 4, 2022, Senate
Secretary Renato N. Bantug Jr. sent nine enrolled copies of the consolidated version of SBN-1310 and
HBN-14 for the signature of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Secretary General Reginald S.
Velasco. The copies were returned on the same day, signed by the officials, and sent to the Office of the
President.

The final title of the bill was "An Act Requiring the Registration of Subscriber Identity Module"
and it was consolidated with SBN-1310 and signed into law by President Marcos on October 10, 2022,
becoming Republic Act No. 11934.10

Issuances

The National Telecommunications Commission released the implementing rules and regulations
(IRR) for the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act, on December 12, 2022. The IRR
released by the NTC will take full effect 15 days after its publication or on December 27, 2022. The
guidelines state that all end users must register their SIMs with their respective public telecommunication
entities within 180 days of the Act's effectivity, with failure to comply resulting in deactivation of the
user's SIM. The registration process will be accomplished virtually through platforms provided by
respective SIM providers. Penalties for provision of false information, sale of a registered SIM, and
breach of confidentiality are also highlighted in the IRR.11

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has also moved the
SIM registration deadline to April 26, two months earlier than what was previously reported, causing
outrage among digital advocates. The 180-day registration process began last December 27, but the DICT
warned that users only have three months left to register.12

The National Privacy Commission held a meeting with Telecommunications Companies to

address public concerns regarding the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act. The Telcos
clarified that the tick-boxes related to marketing and data sharing with third-party partners were optional,
and they agreed to remove them. They committed to making modifications and improvements on their
websites and applications to comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012. The Commission emphasized the
importance of protecting citizens' privacy and ensuring data privacy rights of mobile users and will
continue to work with Telcos for the proper implementation of the law. 13

10
Senate of the Philippines, House Bill No. 14 Legislative History (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://legacy.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=19&q=HBN-14.
11
Abarca, (2022, December 12). NTC releases rules and regulations of SIM Registration Law. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved from
https://mb.com.ph/2022/12/12/ntc-releases-rules-and-regulations-of-sim-registration-law/
12
Relativo, J. (2023). Group outraged after dict 'illegally' moved sim registration deadline earlier to April. Philstar.com.
Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/business/technology/2023/01/14/2237600/group-outraged-after-dict-illegally-moved-
sim-registration-deadline-earlier-april
13
NPC gathered telcos to address data privacy concerns on the SIM Registration Act. National Privacy Commission. (2022,
December 31). Retrieved from https://www.privacy.gov.ph/2022/12/npc-gathered-telcos-to-address-data-privacy-concerns-on-
the-sim-card-registration-act/