The passage of the National ID System law will help address gaps in social service delivery, a party-list representing the agriculture sector said.
AGRI party-list Secretary General Benjie Martinez said the implementation of a national ID system is crucial in properly identifying the beneficiaries of social services.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday signed Republic Act 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act.
It establishes the Philippine ID System or PhilSys, a centralized database for vital information on all residents and resident aliens in the Philippines. The National ID or PhilID provides a valid proof of identity and an efficient official identity verification of all Philippine citizens. It will consolidate all existing government-initiated identification systems into one integrated ID.
“With PhilSys, we can review and tweak the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, thus addressing long-standing issues.”
The National ID will have the following information: the PhilSys number, full name, sex, blood type, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, and photo of the ID owner.
The new law is meant to speed up and improve the delivery of government services and reduce fraudulent transactions.
“The national ID system could help in identifying beneficiaries of social amelioration programs, ensuring proper targeting and effectiveness,” Martinez said.
The AGRI Party-list is among the authors of the newly-passed measure.
Among the government programs that could be improved by the national ID system are the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, Unconditional Cash Transfer, and Social Pensions for Indigent Senior Citizens, Martinez said.
“Proper identification particularly of farmers and fisherfolk will help ease their access to credit.”
Filipinos belonging to the agriculture and fisheries sector also stand to benefit, Martinez said.
“With PhilSys, we can review and tweak the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, thus addressing long-standing issues such as mis- and under-allocation, as well as exclusion of farmers and fisherfolk from the various agricultural programs of the government,” said Martinez.
The establishment of the PhilSys could also be crucial in financial inclusion efforts, Martinez said.
The 2017 Financial Inclusion survey by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas revealed that 52.8 million Filipinos do not have bank accounts.
The survey showed that 18 percent of those without bank accounts cannot produce the documents to open an account.
“Proper identification particularly of farmers and fisherfolk will help ease their access to credit,” Martinez said.
