Pimentel calls for tight nat’l cyber security as ID system nears enactment

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III stressed the country’s need for a “comprehensive” cyber security policy amid deliberations on the measure seeking the creation of a national identification system.

Pimentel made the appeal following the Upper Chamber’s passage on second reading Wednesday of the Senate Bill 1738, or the proposed Philippine Identification System Act.

The measure, sponsored by Senator Panfilo Lacson, seeks to harmonize, integrate, and interconnect multiple government IDs in a single ID system which shall be known as the Philippine Identification System or the PhilSys, covering all Filipino citizens and foreigners residing in the country.

Under the PhilSys, government IDs would be consolidated into one Philippine ID in which an individual would be assigned with a permanent identification number. This would serve as a legal proof of identity in government offices.

The government aims to implement the new ID system on October as the Senate is expected to pass the measure soon.

But as the proposed law is nearing enactment, Pimentel cited the government’s “urgent” need to have a tight national cyber security policy to protect important government data and the citizens’ private information.

“It’s crucial for the effective implementation of a national ID system that we formulate a comprehensive cyber security policy that’s spread among the various state agencies tasked with defending and ensuring the integrity of government online information and our citizen’s private online data,” the Senate leader said in a statement.

“If that data is compromised, then we will have problems with the ID system because sensitive information is stored online,” he warned.

Pimentel urged concerned agencies to assess possible tools and technology to create such policy.

In particular, he asked the Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Science and Technology, Department on National Defense, Department of Justice, as well as the Philippine National Police, to coordinate with each other and ensure the protection of important and sensitive information stored online.

“In addition to sensitive state data, an equally-important aspect of the cyber policy is government having the capability to assist the private sector in cyber concerns when asked to,” the Senator said.

“Capability-building and cooperation among government agencies should ensure that we have a stable and reliable cyber policy on hand. A national ID system or a robust e-commerce sector, for that matter, would be useless if we do not have the means to protect sensitive data,” he stressed.