■ HOUSE COMMITTEE OKS FUNDS FOR ID SYSTEM

Appropriations committee chairman and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles says there would be enough government funds to carry out the implementation of consolidted government-issued IDs. Nograles says there should no longer be a reason to delay the national ID system, as there are enough funds. Nograles is also confident that the measure will gain enough support from the Senate. “The national ID system is needed to strengthen the government’s efforts in eliminating terrorism by distinguishing law- abiding citizens from lawless elements.”

The House appropriations committee has approved the proposed funding requirement for a measure that seeks to consolidate all existing government-initiated identification (ID) systems into one integrated Filipino ID system.

In a statement on Friday, appropriations committee chair and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said there would be enough government funds to carry out the implementation of a national ID system in the country. Bills requiring appropriations have to pass through Nograles' panel.

When asked about the earmarked funding provisions, Nograles told PNA that the appropriations panel only puts a “general provision” and does not set a maximum limit to provide flexibility.

“There should no longer be a reason to delay the passage of the national ID system. We have enough funds to make it happen. We already passed it in the committee on appropriations which I chair,” Nograles said.

He cited the need to beef up the government's efforts in eliminating terrorism threats by equipping it with means to distinguish law abiding citizens from lawless elements.

“I am confident that after the House passage, the measure would be able to gain enough support in the Senate. We want to strengthen the country's fight against terrorism and criminality,” Nograles added.

Nograles said that the Filipino ID system would be machine-readable identification cards containing multiple data which can be used not just for identification but also for other government transactions.

The integrated ID system could trim government costs in the production of different types of cards. The proposed Filipino ID system can be used as a social security card, a tax information card, health card, and other government-issued identification cards.

“Unlike before, identification cards can now be embedded with digital chips so instead of having too many cards, a person would need a single card for all his government transactions because all the needed information can be stored there,” Nograles said.

“It is cheaper and definitely more convenient for both the government and our citizenry,” he added.