Pre-paid SIM registration mulled

MANILA, Philippines - It is time for serious discussion on the need to register pre-paid SIM cards as one measure to fight child sex abuse and other crimes, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also warned parents that they face prosecution if they allow their children to be used for Internet pornography.

“That is something that we will really poun¡d the hammer on,” Lacierda said.

He said the Philippines would not allow itself to be identified as a haven for child pornography.

Lacierda said the issue on registration of prepaid SIMs, also known as subscriber identity modules, was ticklish and must be discussed properly without violating constitutional rights.

“The good thing to do is... let’s have an honest discussion on this because... we have postpaid subscription... but the prepaid (SIM registration), that’s an issue with a lot of areas of concern. It is good to discuss that to determine what will really be the policy direction,” he said.

Lacierda said stakeholders like the telecommunication companies and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) would have to sort out the commercial and legal aspects of the issue.

Unregistered prepaid SIM cards and the temporary restraining order on the controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 are among the factors blocking police operations against child pornography in the country, Philippine National Police’s Anti Cybercrime Group (ACG) Director Police Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa said.

Since prepaid SIM in the Philippines are not registered, the identification of distributors and transmitters of child pornography in the country is difficult, Sosa said.

He added the PNP would be asking Congress to pass legislation on the registration of prepaid SIM cards.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier was quoted as saying she has no legal objection to the proposed legislation requiring the registration of SIM card buyers.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III, however, said there is no need to pass a law requiring registration of prepaid SIM, saying there is an existing NTC directive.

Telecommunications firms, on the other hand, questioned the NTC directive and were able to secure a TRO.

The telcos said the directive might lead to violation of a person’s right to access telecom services, information and equipment.

Malacañang is also awaiting the SC decision on the Cybercrime Law where online libel and the take- down clause and some other issues became contentious.

Nothing new

Lacierda said the Department of Social Welfare and Development could also take action to protect minors from such abuse.

“A reminder to parents: they can be prosecuted for doing that,” Lacierda said.

He said it is not morally acceptable for parents to pimp for their children and make them a source of income.

Lacierda said the appropriate agencies are expected to work closely together against cybersex, including coordinating with tourism establishments.

He said the Department of Tourism’s famous slogan “It’s more fun in the Philippines” should not have any negative connotation.

The US, British and Australian governments have announced they were after the child sex rings in the Philippines that have become an emerging threat.

Philippine officials said the government had been doing its best to address the problem through various operations, measures and legislation.

In fact, the Philippines had been recognized as a model in the fight against all forms of human trafficking, Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

Binay, chairman of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), also said the report on prevalence of child pornography in the country is not new.

“These cases are now in court… this is not recent. I will repeat. In the report that I received yesterday, being an official of the IACAT, I was shocked because it became a big issue and it sounds like it just happened now. But this (was) in 2012,” Binay said.

Binay made the statement in reaction to reports that the US and Britain decided to place the Philippines in its watchlist on child pornography.

Binay said that from 2012 to present, the government has successfully acted against child pornography.

“The cases are already filed in court,” he stressed.

Binay said that the IACAT has sent many suspects involved in child trafficking to jail while their cases are being tried in court.

“With pride, we can say that we have been a model in terms of the fight against trafficking worldwide. There are a lot of officials who praised us for our program against human trafficking. It remains to be a problem of course, but our efforts are being recognized,” Binay said.

“The story just came out late,” he added. – Aurea Calica, Jose Rodel Clapano, Mike Frialde