Duterte: P4.1 billion set aside to fast-track implementation of national ID system

FILE PHOTO — The Philippine Statistics Authority released this sample design of the national identification card after President Duterte signed the Philippine Identification System Act in 2018. JAM STA. ROSA

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said a total of P4.1 billion under the proposed P4.506-trillion national budget for 2021 will be allocated to fast-track the implementation of the national ID system.

In his budget message to Congress, Duterte said the allocation will help the government “clean up” its registries of beneficiaries of its social protection programs such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.

“To assist in cleaning up the registries of 4Ps and other means-tested programs as well as enable the faster provision of financial subsidies to the poor, a total of PhP 4.1 billion will likewise be allotted to fast track the registration of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys),” Duterte said.

“Some Php85 million is also allotted to the Community Based Monitoring System to assists LGUs in improving their local residence registries which will complement the PhilSys in the targeting and the provision of economic and social services at the local level, especially during calamities and disasters,” he added.

Signed by Duterte in August 2018, the PhilSys Act or Republic Act No. 11055 seeks to harmonize and integrate several government IDs by establishing a single national identification system for all citizens and resident aliens through the collection of basic personal information and biometric data.

The delay in the implementation of the national ID system was highlighted during the distribution of the government’s emergency cash subsidies amid the COVID-19 pandemic which was marred by concerns on security, the reconciliation of lists of beneficiaries, and logistical challenges.

The President likewise bared in his budget message that the government will set aside some P171.2 billion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for 2021 to ensure that safety nets are in place as the country heads for choppy waters.

CFC