DOJ assures personal data in Natl ID system secured

MANILA — The information that will be stored in the national ID system cannot be accessed by anyone unless they get permission from concerned owner.

This, according to Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra in a text message sent to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

“Under this new law, registered information can only be accessed by third parties if the registered person gives his/her consent, or if there is a court order,” Guevarra said.

With a national ID system, a large database for all Filipinos and even for resident aliens is created, he added.

“Identity theft will be prevented, making it harder to commit crimes and acts of terrorism. Law offenders can be identified and located more easily, “he added.

For his part, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar emphasized the various benefits of the national ID system including its main objective, which is to make government transactions easier and faster for all Filipinos.

The PCOO chief said a national ID could also help curb corruption and red tape, especially for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who had to return to the Philippines just to renew their IDs.

Andanar also stressed the importance of the national ID in promoting national security, particularly in preventing terror threats.

The Philippine Identification System Act or Republic Act 11055 was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang on August 6.

Duterte signed into law the Philippine Identification System Act, which seeks to integrate the various government IDs of all citizens and foreign residents in the country.

Under the bill, a foundational ID system dubbed as PhilSys, will be in place.

It will have three components: the PhilSys Number (PSN), PhilID and PhilSys Registry. PSN is a randomly generated, unique and permanent identification number for each individual, to be incorporated in all identification systems of government agencies.

It will remain with the person even after death. PhilID is a nontransferable card with the PSN and basic information.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is mandated to act as the PhilSys Registry.

Under the national ID law, the PSA will collate the full name, sex, birthdate, address, citizenship and blood type of Filipino citizens and encode them in a centralized database.

The law ensures that the individual’s right to privacy is protected.

Duterte earlier allayed fears that the National ID would infringe privacy and the personal data of the Phil-ID holders, noting that the information that will be included in the Phil-ID will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the PSA and other agencies that gather personal data.

He assured that 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 ensure the national ID system’s privacy and security.

While getting a national ID is not compulsory, it will integrate some 30 redundant government IDs by merging these into a single national ID system.

The PhilID will be a nontransferable card containing on its face the PSN (PhilSys Number), full name, facial image, date of birth, address and fingerprints of the owner.

The PSA earlier said the entire population is expected to be registered with the Philippine ID System (PhilSys) in two to five years.

A pilot launch will take place late this year and a mass rollout in the beginning of 2019, with a target enrollment of 25 million Filipinos on an annual basis, the PSA said.

The PSA will initially enroll the first one million, who are beneficiaries of the Unconditional Cash Transfer (UCT).