Drilon to legislators: Prioritize national ID system

Sen. Franklin Drilon File photo GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is urging both the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives to prioritize the bill that will establish the national ID system.

“I call on the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives to speed up work on the proposed national ID system,” Drilon said in a statement on Thursday.

“Such a law is necessary for efficient and fast delivery of public services in the country,” he added.

Drilon, the author of Senate Bill No. 15 or an “Act Establishing the Philippine Identification System,” claimed that both Senate and House leadership identified SBN 15 as a “priority measure of the 17th Congress.”

The resolution aims to ensure efficient delivery of social services and facilitating transactions requiring information on a person’s identity.

SBN 15 is currently pending with the Committee of Justice and Human Rights chaired by Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon.

Drilon is reacting to recent reports that certain provinces in Central Luzon urged Muslims to adopt an identification system to prevent terrorism and lawlessness.

READ: ID cards proposed to stop terrorists

Malacañang rejected the Muslim ID scheme saying it was a local initiative and reiterated its support for the implementation of a national ID system instead.

READ: Palace repeats support for national ID system

Drilon explained that the national ID bill is “meant to make swift and accurate the identification of individuals seeking basic services from the government.” He also added that a national Filipino ID can “prevent fraudulent transactions.”

“The bill aims to consolidate all existing government-initiated identification systems into an integrated and efficient identification system for citizens of the Philippines in order to help improve and speed up the delivery of public services in the country,” Drilon said.

If enacted into law, a Common Reference Number (CRN) will be given to all Filipinos that would contain information such as full name, address, date and place of birth, sex, civil status, signature, CRN and date of card issuance, along with a recent photo.

The bill mandates that a registered individual would only need to present a national ID for identification in transactions in all government agencies and will also be honored when transacting with private institutions, especially those requiring personal details and disclosure of identity.

Drilon said that as part of the government’s social responsibility, the application for the national ID system shall be “free of charge” and Filipinos based abroad can register at their respective embassy or consular offices.

The senator reasoned that SBN 15 contains ample safeguards against unlawful disclosure of information, “as no person or entity, including state enforcement agencies, may publish or spread anyone’s data in the ID system, except when the owner expressly consents, or in case of an accident.” Airei Kim Guanga, INQUIRER.net trainee / JPV