Quezon City Representative Sonny Belmonte has filed a revived proposal to establish a national ID system for the country.
House Bill 12 is an act which seeks to establish a Filipino identification system which shall provide official identification of all Filipino citizens in and outside the country through the issuance of a Filipino ID card which shall consolidate all existing government-initiated identification systems into one integrated identification system.
Being one of the only nine countries in the world without a national ID system, Belmote said the bill seeks to address this deficiency and institutionalize the Filipino ID system to improve government service and eliminate red tape in government processes.
"The national identification card will lower costs, streamline transactions, and provide ease and convenience," Belmonte said.
Under the bill, the Filipino ID card shall be mandatory for all Filipino citizens and shall be non-transferable and valid for life. It shall only be replaced when there is a change in name or when the card would be lost or destroyed.
The proposed measure indicates that the Filipino ID card shall have the imprinted photograph, name, birth date, gender, date of issue, signature of the owner, unique serial number issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and other data as necessary.
The ID shall have the capability of storing biometric data of the cardholder. The initial application shall be free of charge. Replacements shall be paid by the cardholder except for renewal when the individual reaches the age of 60.
The PSA shall implement this for Filipinos residing in the country while the Department of Foreign Affairs shall handle the ID of Filipinos overseas.
The ID shall be used for the following: application of the passport and drivers' licenses; filing of applications for services and benefits from the Government Services Insurance System (GSIS), the Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF); proof of identify; application for benefits and privileges for senior citizens; and voting registration and identification.
In addition, the proposed law guarantees protection against illegal disclosure of information. Information retrieval shall only be available upon meetin certain requirements or conditions, such as: the authorization of the cardholder; accident, disaster or fortuitous events; in the interest of public health and safety; and the order of a competent court.
Use of false information related to the Filipino ID may be penalized with a fine of up to half a million pesos and jail time of up to 2 years.
Meanwhile, Surigao del Norte representative Robert Ace Barbers has submitted a similar bill that seeks to establish and institutionalize the "Philippine National Identification System," which shall be called "FilCard."
The FilCard system aims to facilitate, streamline and simplify the processes in government and private transactions by Filipino individuals, Barbers said.
The FilCard shall consolidate existing government-issued ID cards into one integrated ID system. It will contain biometric data with the SSS or GSIS number, among other possible features, which may be used for government and private sectors transactions.
"The Philippine National Identification System is the most practical, economical and progressive social tool which shall be made available for free to all Filipino citizens, residing both here and abroad, who deserve to be extended proper and efficient government service. The ID card, which shall be known as the FilCard shall be made of tamper proof security material with capability to store the biometric and other important data of the individual cardholder, and may be updated regularly," Barbers said.
Source: ABS-CBN
Share It To Your Friends!
