The Mandaue City Council approved on first reading the proposed Anti-Pre-Registered SIM Card Ordinance of 2026, which aims to strengthen enforcement of the national SIM Registration Act.
Author City Councilor Jennifer Del Mar stated the ordinance specifically penalizes buyers of pre-registered SIM cards, arguing that eliminating buyer demand will discourage sellers and deter use in criminal activities.
The ordinance bans the sale, purchase, and possession of pre-registered SIM cards, with violators facing a P5,000 fine, 30 days to six months imprisonment, or potential business permit revocation.
MANDAUE City is moving to penalize buyers and sellers of pre-registered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards under a proposed ordinance approved on first reading by the City Council.
The proposed Mandaue City Anti-Pre-Registered SIM Card Ordinance of 2026 seeks to strengthen the enforcement of Republic Act (RA) 11934, or the SIM Registration Act.
City Councilor Jennifer Del Mar, the measure’s author, said the draft ordinance targets demand for illegally registered SIM cards.
“We modeled our local ordinance after the national law, but we went a step further by adding a penalty specifically for the buyer,” Del Mar said. “Our logic is simple: if there is no buyer, there would be no seller.”
Del Mar said such SIM cards are often used to conceal the identities of people involved in scams and other crimes.
“Why would anyone buy a SIM card that is already registered under someone else’s name when you can easily register one yourself? There is already a clear, questionable intention right there,” she said.
Prohibited acts
The proposed ordinance would ban the sale, distribution, purchase, transfer and possession for resale of pre-registered SIM cards in Mandaue City. It would cover telecom dealers, retailers, distributors, resellers, online merchants and individual buyers.
The measure also prohibits registering SIM cards using fictitious names, stolen identities or falsified documents, as well as transferring registered SIM cards without following legal procedures.
Violators would face a P5,000 fine. Individual buyers, sellers or possessors could also be jailed for 30 days to six months.
Businesses could face the suspension or revocation of their permits. Courts may impose a fine, imprisonment or both. Authorities may also file separate charges under RA 11934. / ABC