“We will never ever be asked again to present multiple government-issued IDs for any transaction.”
This according to Laguna 3rd District Rep. Sol Aragones, Chairperson of the House Committee on Population and Family Relations and principal sponsor of the National Identification System Act at the House of Representatives, on the day President Rodrigo Duterte officially signed into law “An Act Establishing the Philippine Identification System” on August 6, Monday, at Malacañang Palace.
“This is a historical milestone, a landmark legislation and a life-changing measure all rolled into one,” said Aragones.
“This ‘one for all, all for one’ ID will consolidate, synchronize and harmonize all existing government-initiated identification systems, more than 30 at present, into one integrated, comprehensive and efficient system. Called the PhilSys ID, it will be issued to all citizens and resident aliens to provide them with a valid proof of identity and a means to simplify public and private transactions,” added Aragones.
“We will no longer need to present multiple IDs to transact with government and private establishments that require individuals to present two or more government-issued IDs.”
According to the bill that will be signed into law this afternoon, the PhilID card face will contain the PSN (PhilSys Number), full name, sex, marital status (optional), date of birth, place of birth, address, blood type, and front-facing photograph. Furthermore, the bill states that the PhilSys Registry will store data containing the following: full name, sex, marital status (optional), date of birth, place of birth, address, Filipino or resident alien, blood type, mobile number (optional), email address (optional) and biometric data (front-facing photograph, full set of fingerprints and iris scan). Moreover, the bill states that every citizen or resident alien shall register personally at accredited centers nationwide.
These centers are the regional and provincial offices of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Local Civil Registration Offices (LCROs), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost), Commission on Elections (Comelec), and other government–owned and controlled corporations as may be assigned by the PSA.
The bill also enumerates the items where the PhilID can be used. These are: (1) application for eligibility and access to social welfare and benefits granted by the government; (2) application for services and benefits offered by GSIS, SSS, PhilHealth, HDMF and other government agencies; (3) applications for passports and driver’s license; (4) tax-related transactions; (5) registration and voting identification purposes; (6) admission to any government hospital, health center or similar institution; (7) all other government transactions; (8) application for admission in schools, colleges, learning institutions and universities, whether public or private; (9) application and transaction for employment purposes; (10) opening of bank accounts and other transactions with banks and other financial institutions; (11) verification for criminal records and clearances; and (12) such other transactions, uses or purposes, as may be defined in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).
“This is a historical milestone, a landmark legislation and a life-changing measure all rolled into one.”
This law will: (1) promote seamless delivery of services; (2) improve the efficiency, transparency, and target delivery of public and social services; (3) enhance administrative governance; (4) reduce corruption and curtail bureaucratic red tape; (5) promote greater convenience to the public; (5) avert fraudulent transactions and misrepresentations; (6) strengthen financial inclusions; and (7) promote ease of doing business,” explained Aragones.
“We will no longer need to present multiple IDs to transact with government and private establishments that require individuals to present two or more government-issued IDs.”
“The Philippine Identification System Act is genuine change more than twenty years in the making. Finally, disadvantaged individuals previously unable to access support and assistance from the government can now have something to count on, in such a small package that not only fits in a bag, but also fits in a wallet. Kumbaga, isang hugot lang, may benepisyo ka. This will definitely bring the government, and its social services, closer to the people that it has pledged to serve,” concluded Aragones.
