(File photo)
MANILA – The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) should "lead the fight" against text scammers by being more proactive, Senator Grace Poe said on Tuesday.
In a statement, Poe urged the NTC to devise “effective mechanisms” to address users' concerns, and educate users about spam filters.
She made the statement after the NTC pointed out that Republic Act No. 11934, or the SIM Registration Act, is "not a silver bullet against messaging scams."
"The SIM Registration Act was meant to be a joint effort by all government agencies and sectors, with NTC at the helm leading the fight against text scams," Poe said.
"The agency (NTC) needs to account for its own actions, or lack thereof. We are not even receiving text scam advisories anymore which is the barest minimum of their duties," she noted.
Poe also urged telecommunication companies (telcos) to simplify the reporting process.
She said telcos are required to provide "user-friendly mechanisms" in reporting spams and scams, but users seemed to be discouraged to report because of the tedious process.
"Surely, they are capable of devising a more straightforward mechanism that clearly shows immediate action on the users' concerns and filters against text blast software," she said.
In an earlier statement, the NTC acknowledged the persistence of text scams despite the mandatory SIM card registration, and vowed tighter enforcement of RA 11934. (PNA)
