Gov’t pushes issuance of multi-use nat’l ID cards
The government is bent on issuing national identification (ID) cards to all Filipinos that will also serve as social welfare cards to ensure the effective and targeted implementation of its social safety nets for the poorest families, the Department of Finance (DOF) said.
Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the government would first issue the national IDs to senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) once the proposed Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) is passed into law.
They will be followed by members of the 5.2 million poorest households in the country not yet covered by the ongoing conditional cash transfer (CCT) initiative of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) known as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
“The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will issue the ID cards, with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) providing oversight functions,” Chua said. “The DSWD, meanwhile, will coordinate the various social benefits programs that will be put in place under TRAIN."
Chua said the DOF proposal is for the national ID to contain biometrics data about an individual, with the possibility of adding an EMV (EuropayMastercard-Visa) chip card to load the cash subsidies for persons legally entitled to such benefits.
“The ID will also contain information to determine if a person can take advantage of discounts in medicines, commuting, health care, education, and other applicable benefits under the law and as specified under TRAIN,” Chua said.
He said this proposed national ID will replace all other identification cards issued by the government, except for passports and driver’s licenses.
The target is to provide 105 million Filipinos with the ID within two years of the enactment of the law mandating the implementation of the national identification system, Chua said.
As of June 2 when the Congress adjourned sine die, the Committee on Population and Family Relations in House of Representatives already approved the establishment of a national ID system.
Meanwhile, a counterpart bill filed in the Senate has so far been reported on first reading and referred to the Senate Committees on Justice and Human Rights and on Finance.