Nat’l ID contractor says backlog could be fixed in 12 months if BSP reverses termination

Embattled AllCard Inc. (ACI), the contractor for the printing of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) or National ID cards, over the weekend said it is fully capable of meeting its deadline, even as it was found by the Central Bank to have failed in delivering through with the contract.

According to ACI president Roy Ebora said, the company could erase the National ID backlog in the next 12 months, should the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reverse its decision to terminate its contract.

“AllCard was on track to meet its production goals until the discovery of some perceived defects, which we immediately brought to the attention of the BSP,” he said.

“We have the infrastructure, experience, and determination to fulfill our obligations and help the BSP and PSA provide these essential IDs to the Filipino people by 2025,” he added.

This comes as the BSP, in a decision dated August 15, 2024, terminated its contract with ACI citing the failure to deliver any or all of the goods, and perform other obligations under the contract.

ACI was awarded two contracts for the National ID program — one for the production of blank cards which was terminated by the BSP, and another for the printing of the cards.

The central bank said ACI failed to deliver enough raw materials within the specified period even with the grant of an extension, and it failed to maintain the production machinery due to unavailable spare parts.

ACI has since appealed the termination and requested a comprehensive review of its performance under the contract, as it said such a decision could have stemmed from “erroneous information or reports.”

Ebora on Sunday said the company is not responsible for the data errors on the cards, including misspelled names, the image quality, and inconsistent formats.

“We do not have any control on the data, our equipment only prints what is given to us,” he said.

“Our contract clearly outlines our obligation — to lease the equipment and the supply of materials and consumables,” he added.

For his part, BSP governor Eli Remolona Jr. said the contract is subject to a pending arbitration with ACI, and the central bank is prohibited from disclosing matters relating to the proceedings in line with the confidentiality of the arbitration. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/RF, GMA Integrated News