MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the release of P750 million to speed up the implementation of he Unified Multi-purpose Identification (UMID) system, her spokesman said Tuesday.

The UMID, which is different from a national ID, aims to unify the ID systems of the National Statistics Office (NSO), Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), and Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.

Arroyo ordered Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya to release the amount at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday after SSS president Corazon dela Paz briefed the President on the status of the UMID.

"The President ordered Secretary Andaya to release P750 million to complete the requirements so that the UMID will be implemented," Bunye said, "This will further accelerate the implementation of the unified multi-purpose ID system."