admin 
Ni Ernie Reyes
IPINABIBILIS Senador Grace Poe at Win Gatchalian ang pagpapalabas ng national identification card upang masugpo ang ilang katiwalian at pagkakamali sa rehistrasyon ng subscriber identity modules (SIM).
Sa magkahiwalay na pahayag, kapwa sinabi nina Poe at Gatchalian na kanilang sinisilip ang posibilidad na limitahan ang bilang ng valid official identification card na tatanggapin sa rehistrasyon ng SIM.
Kaya dahil dito, hinikayat nina Poe, chairman ng Senate Committee on Public Services, na dapat pabilisin ang pagpapalabas ng National Identification Card (National ID) system upang epektibong masugpo ang pagpaparehistro ng pekeng user.
Ayon kay Poe, maaaring sapat na ang national ID sa SIM registration system.
Pero, noong isinailalim pa lamang sa deliberasyon an SIM Registration Act, maraming sektor ang umapela na gawing magaan ang pagpaparehistro ng SIM dahil hindi lahat ng gumagamit ng cellphone ay may official ID o valid document.
Kabilang sa tinatanggap na official ID sa pagpaparehistro ng SIM ang passport, national ID, Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) e-card, driver’s license, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance, police clearance, at iba pang dokumento tulad ng firearms license IDs.
“That’s why, one of the things we have been pushing since is for the government to fast track the national ID system and afterwards, use this to make the SIM registration stricter, so one cannot just use any ID just to register,” ayon kay Poe sa inteeview.
“Supposedly, a national ID alone is enough, you don’t need to present two (valid IDs). But we can amend the law to indicate and specify at any two valid IDs,” aniya.
“But we cannot do that now, because until today, the government has yet to finish printing the national IDs,” himutok ng senador.
Ayon naman kay Gatchalian, umaabot sa 17 uri ng ID ang maaaring gamitin sa pagpaparehistro ng SIM.
Para kay Gatchalian, mas gugustuhin nitong gumamit ng national ID sa SIM registration na mahirap itong kopyahin sa kakaibang biometrics ng gumagamit.
“Not all the IDs specified under the law features biometrics. The national ID has biometrics, that is why I believe we can still amend and limit the number of IDs that can be used for registration,” aniya.
Sinabi ni Gatchalian na nahihirapan ang telcos na mag-validate ng pagkakakilan lang end-use dahil maraming ID ang maaaring gamitin sa SIM rehistrasyon.
“In the first place, many of our existing IDs can be faked, and telcos do not even validate the identities. That’s why even monkeys can register,” aniya.
Kasabay nito, inihayag ni Poe na pag-aaralan ang kahilingan ng Department of Information and Communications Technology’s (DICT) sa a P300-million confidential fund sa 2024. Nasa ilalim ng DICT ang NTC.
Pero, ikinalungkot ni Poe na masyadong mababa ang utilization rate ng DICT dahil umaabot pa lamang sa 30 porsiyento ang nagagamit ng ahensiya sa pondong galing sa 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“Their utilization rate is so law, they are not using the money alloted for them, and yet they still want more money?” tanong niya
“Now if these confidential fund is truly needed and they need it to investigate these text scams further, maybe we can accommodate their request, but only the amount approved by the Commission on Audit (COA),” giit pa ni Poe.
