(Eagle News) – President Rodrigo Duterte signed the National ID Law or the Philippine Identification System Act on Monday, August 6, which will establish a single national identification card that will dispense with presentation of multiple IDs for government transactions.
The signing held in Malacanang was done during the presentation and turn-over of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
Duterte said that a single national ID will help in the “efficient delivery of services to our people.”
“I also ask everyone to support the Philippine Identification System Act which (will) promote the efficient delivery of services to our people through a single ID that will be issued to all citizens and resident aliens,” he said.
The new national ID will be called Phil ID.
“We will dispense with the need to present multiple IDs for different governmental transactions,” the President said.
Duterte said that this new ID will “not just enhance administrative governance, but reduce corruption, curtail bureaucratic red tape, and promote the ease of doing business.”
The President said the new national ID will also “avert fraudulent transactions, strengthen financial inclusion, and create a more secure environment for our people.”
He also assured the public about the benefits of the PHIL ID, as he dismissed apprehensions and fears about data privacy and security previously raised by critics and oppositors.
“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,” he said in his speech.
The President said: “Let me be very clear about this. The information that will be included in the PHIL ID will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the Phil Statistics Authority, or the former NSO, the GSIS (Government Service Information System), Philhealth, PAGIBIG FUND, COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and other agencies that gather personal data.”
He also assured that the PSA will be working closely with the National Privacy Law Commission, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) regarding all concerns pertaining to privacy and security.
(Eagle News Service)