BONG REVILLA LOOKS INTO THE PROPOSED NTC REORGANIZATION

Senate Committee on Public Services Chairman Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. today conducted an inquiry on the proposed reorganization of National Telecommunications Commission.

With the speedy progress of technology, the senator said it was only proper that concerned government agencies be reorganized to cope with these changes and effectively perform their function for the welfare of the public. "We need to give the NTC regulatory powers to further protect consumers."

He said that easy access and user-friendly features of technological gadgets somewhat compromise public security. "Ang internet na lang ngayon halimbawa, hindi mo na kailangan ng computer o physical na address mo. Sa cellphone tsaka yang mobile broadband, pwede ka nang mag-internet, kaya kadalasan, wala nang accountability." Bong Revilla said.

The committee also discussed the highly-debated proposal to implement the mandatory registration of subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. "We are also looking at the proposals na i-register na lahat ng SIM-cards, of course, without violating privacy. Ang layunin natin dito ay protektahan ang publiko laban sa kriminal. Hindi naman tayo papayag na maging susi pa ang mandatory SIM card registration para lalo pa sila mapahamak," he said.

The lawmaker stressed that it is high time to address the alarming misuse of prepaid SIM cards. He said that violations of laws-from petty crimes to big time illegal activities- have been untraceable nowadays and it is only proper that the government must implement a measure to arrest the problem. "Sobrang naaabuso na ang prepaid system natin at nagagamit na ito sa hindi maganda. Sabi nga ng PNP, almost 100% of the time sa mga krimen involving cellphones, swindling man yan, o stalking, o mga pambobomba, prepaid SIM cards ang gamit," Bong Revilla said.

The lawmaker also pointed out that safety measures can be made to ensure that the mandatory registration of SIM cards will not violate their right to privacy. "Noong araw na wala pang cellphone at lahat landlines pa lang, nakarehistro lahat ng numbers. May directory pa nga 'di ba kung saan nakalista pa ang address? So, kung at that time, hindi yun violation ng privacy, maybe we can device a system ngayon na hindi rin makaka-violate ng privacy. Nothing is final yet, but we assure the public na ang resulta ng ating pagdinig ay magiging katanggap-tanggap at angkop sa nagbabagong panahon," he added.