Don’t look at us: Bayan Muna says Duterte admin to blame for Nat’l ID delay

MANILA, Philippines – Opposition party-list group Bayan Muna on Wednesday said that President Rodrigo Duterte has no one else to blame but his own administration over delays in the implementation of the National ID System.

Rep. Carlos Zarate and Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares pointed out that the law on national ID has been passed since 2018 and that its implementation lies with the executive branch.

“Instead of blaming and scapegoating the Left for the sluggish implementation of his pet project, the President should have checked first with his Cabinet members and asked why, despite billions of funds in their disposal, that system is still not in place,” Zarate said.

“Why was it not implemented when they have all the budget they need and now he is blaming the Left?” he asked.

Duterte has earlier lamented that the National ID System could have been a big help in identifying the target beneficiaries of the government’s social amelioration program if only leftist groups did not block it. The cash aid for the most vulnerable sectors of society is being implemented amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine due to COVID-19.

In August 2018, Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act or “PhilSys,” which mandates a systemized identification card despite concerns on possible surveillance and breach of privacy.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Lacson have earlier called for an investigation on the delay in the implementation of the National ID System, which has an initial allocation of P2 billion.

Both senators said in Senate Resolution No. 352 that the entire budget for the program amounts to P25 billion.

Recently, Duterte ordered newly-installed Socioeconomic planning acting secretary Karl Chua to quickly implement the national ID program while studying the COVID-19 recovery plan.

On the other hand, Colmenares questioned why the government is still scrambling for ways to combat the problems brought by the COVID-19 pandemic over a month into the lockdown.  He then criticized Duterte’s appointment of military officials — not medical experts — to lead the government response on the health emergency.

“Puro heneral kasi ang pinaglalagay sa mga civilian positions at ‘di naman alam mag-handle ng public health crisis. Kaya puro curfew at pang-aaresto ang ginawa habang nagugutom ang mamamayan,” Colmenares asserted.

“Ang dapat niyang sisihin ay ang kabagalan ng kanyang administrasyon at hindi mga taong tinatawag niyang pasaway dahil gutom. Mr. President, in the slow implementation of the national ID and the COVID-19 crisis we are in, you have no one to blame but yourself,” he added.

The enhanced community quarantine across Luzon has effectively halted work for the majority of people in the region. The lockdown started in March and will end on April 30. However, the government is still mulling whether to lift, extend, or modify the enhanced community quarantine as cases of infection in the country are still increasing.

KGA