Philippine police arrested 766 individuals for cyber offences between January and July 2026, prompting calls to amend the SIM Registration Act.
MANILA: Philippine police arrested 766 individuals for various cyber offences from January to July 2026, with online selling scams ranking as the most common violation, according to local media reports on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.
During the seven-month period, the Philippine police also rescued 149 victims and secured 81 convictions, according to the Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) of the Philippine National Police.
The ACG urged lawmakers to amend the existing Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration Act, recommending the use of a single form of identification, particularly the national ID, as a requirement.
The ACG said strengthening identity authentication is key to preventing online crimes and proposed limiting SIM card ownership to five per person and banning SIM transfers without proper documentation.
The Philippine National Police is coordinating with telecommunications companies and other agencies to implement the one-ID registration system, according to the ACG.
– BERNAMA-XINHUA
