The bills were given to Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office after being signed.Both bills have been sent to Malacaang for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signature.
At the Manila Golf Club in Makati City, senators and congressmen gathered for the formal signing of the two bills that will be the first two laws passed by the 19th Congress.
“Nakakabuo na tayo ng maganda at (We have created a good and) effective working relationship with the House and if our bicameral sessions for these two bills are anything to go by, then I think we can all expect to have a very active and productive 19th Congress,” Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said during the signing ceremony.
President Marcos will recognize the urgent need to sign the SIM Registration Act into law, according to Zubiri, who is primarily responsible for its creation.
He added, "We have also addressed the concerns regarding social media registration raised in the previous veto, so we hope there won't be any more problems here."
Both Houses had previously approved a previous version of the bill during the 18th Congress, but Rodrigo Duterte, the then-president, vetoed it in April.
Duterte praised Congress' efforts to find solutions to the rising number of cybercrimes and crimes involving information and communications technology, but he was compelled to object to the inclusion of social media in the measure without offering adequate definitions or guidelines.
“We need this law. Masyado nang laganap ’yung mga text at online scam (text and online scams are very rampant),” said Zubiri, himself a recipient of spam text messages.
The SIM Registration Act seeks to put an end to SIM-enabled text and online scams by requiring users to register their SIM cards using valid identification documents.
“Matagal na nating isinusulong itong (We have been pushing for this) SIM Registration Act, at ’yung(and the) Barangay and SK Elections Postponement Act naman ay (is) very time-sensitive, so tama lang na itong dalawa ang (it is just right that these two will be the) first enrolled bills natin para sa (for) 19th Congress,” Zubiri added.
The BSKE Postponement Act seeks to defer the BSKE from Dec. 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October 2023.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez commended Zubiri, saying the House will “try to emulate the high standards that he has put there so that we could achieve great things together.”
“We look forward to more of these occasions. And again, to each and every one of you who have been a very, very important part of today’s event, maraming, maraming salamat po (thank you very much). Congratulations for a job well done,” Romualdez said.
Romualdez said they hope to have the PHP5.268-trillon national budget for 2023 signed into law by the end of the year.
“Rest assured that as we exit this pandemic, we will usher in a period of recovery and the proper utilization of our country’s resources for the recovery of the economy and of the people,” he said.
Representatives Toby Tiangco (Navotas City), Marjorie Ann Teodoro (Marikina City 1st District), Juliet Marie Ferrer (Negros Oriental 4th District), Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senate Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito, and Senators Imee Marcos and Grace Poe were also present during the signing. The House Majority Leader and Representative from Zamboanga City, Manuel Jose Dalipe, was also
The bills were given to Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office after being signed.
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