Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday stated that mandating real names and registered SIM cards for social media registration is constitutional, after the provision was cited as reason for the veto of the SIM Card Registration bill.
"The measure is constitutional. The bill does not in any way limit speech. It does not curtail one's ability to post on social media. This is not designed to suppress any particular message," Drilon stressed in a statement.
According to Drilon, the provision intended to "prevent trolls, fraudsters, scammers, and online bullies from hiding behind fake names" by requiring an individual to sign up with their real names on social media
"Is it a prior restraint on free speech? No, it is not. You can still post anytime, anywhere and whatever you want to post. Does it even regulate the time, place or manner of posting? It definitely does not," said the senator.
Drilon added that the bill has safeguards to ensure the privacy of Filipinos, such as the confidentiality clause in Section 9 that prohibits the disclosure of any information obtained in the registration process.
The senator's statement came days after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to veto the SIM Card Registration bill, saying that the inclusion of social media providers in the registration requirement needs further study.
The Palace also said the inclusion of social media providers was not initially part of the bill, as it only required the registration of SIM cards.
Drilon, however, denied that the inclusion of social media is a "rider" and a last-minute insertion in the bill.
A rider, according to Drilon, violates the constitutional provision requiring that a bill passed by Congress shall embrace the only one subject expressed in the title.
A provision that is not relevant to the subject to the bill is a rider, and it is prohibited in legislation, he added.
But in the case of the SIM Card Registration act, Drilon said the whole title is "An Act to Eradicate Mobile Phone, Internet or Electronic Communicated-Aided Terrorism and Criminal Activities, Mandating for this Purpose Ownership Registration of All SIM Cards for Electronic Devices and Social Media Accounts."
The title itself sets the boundaries and doe not embrace more than one subject in the title itself, according to Drilon.
