Duterte signs national ID system law

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday signed into law the proposed national identification system.

A priority legislation of the government, the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act was signed by Duterte during a simple ceremony in Malacañang.

The law seeks to harmonize, integrate, and interconnect the countless and redundant government IDs by establishing a single national identification system to be known as the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys.

The Phil-ID will contain information such as the PhilSys number, full name, facial image, sex, date of birth, blood type, and address.

“As we all know, the President is averse to bureaucratic red tape. Through PhilSys, we hope to improve efficiency and transparency of public services and promote ease of doing business,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“For the ordinary Juan de la Cruz, the signing of this Act means that he will no longer have to present multiple identification cards simply to prove his identity. This streamlining of information makes it likewise harder to commit identity theft or fraud.”

He said that unlike the previous National ID Bill which was earlier declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court due to the lack of system to protect its database, this new ID system will pass all constitutional requisites.

Roque added that there is a privacy law to safeguard the database and the government will have the sole obligation to protect the data gathered in this new system.

"Several administrations before me have tried but failed to implement this very important measure, partly because of the apprehensions peddled by some groups about privacy and data security, among others," Duterte said in his speech.

The President said the information that will be included in the new ID will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the Philippine Statistics Authority or the other agencies that gather personal data such as the Commission on Elections and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

He said the PSA "will work closely" with the National Privacy Commission, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the multi-agency PhilSystem Policy and Coordination Council to address all concerns pertaining to privacy and security.

"There is therefore no basis at all for the apprehensions about the Phil-ID, unless of course that fear is based on anything that borders to illegal. If at all, the Phil-ID will even aid in our drive against the social menaces of poverty, corruption and criminal issues, as well as terrorism and violent extremism," Duterte said.

In a separate interview on GMA News’ 24 Oras on Monday, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Lisa Grace Bersales, noted the passage of the law provides national security, prevent identity theft, and promote financial inclusion.

“Financial inclusion—ang daming nating citizens na hindi makakuha ng bank account, maka-open ng bank account, kasi kailangan ng dalawang government issued ID. And some of our more disadvantaged citizens don’t have such. So with the national ID they will have financial inclusion,” she said.

“That’s unique to you forever. No one should have the same number,” she said.

The central bank has pushed for the passage of the proposed national identification system for more unbanked individuals to be able to open bank accounts.

The left leaning Makabayan bloc, however, had raised concerns against the measure, saying the data may be used against opponents of the government and to deprive others who do not have it of basic social services.

An initial funding of P2 billion has been earmarked for the implementation of the national ID system under the 2018 national budget. —With Jon Viktor Cabuenas/ RSJ/VDS, GMA News