SSS ties up with Philpost on expanded ID system

MANILA, Philippines - The Social Security System (SSS) has tied up with the Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) to widen the coverage of a new identification system that would facilitate people’s transactions with government agencies.

During Tuesday’s signing of agreement with Philpost, SSS president and chief executive officer Romulo Neri said the tie-up combines the use of the so-called Unified Multipurpose Identification System (UMID) for both agencies.

“The partnership with Philpost widens the usage of the UMID card, which would also pave the way for electronic-based remittance services for overseas workers through the Philpost in the future,” he said.

The UMID card will enable SSS members to get payments for pensions, loans and benefits through Philpost’s nationwide network of about 2,200 post offices, more than half of which also function as money transfer offices at present.

Neri said SSS would provide Philpost a P1-billion loan which would be secured by real estate properties as collateral, for the upgrading and development of Philpost’s remittance system.

SSS, the lead agency tasked to implement the UMID system, is rolling out the first wave of UMID cards in March, initially for its members and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Neri said that along the way, members of other government agencies, including the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund and even the Commission on Elections would also be covered by the system.

The target is to produce a total of 12 million cards in the next five years for P1.689 billion, Neri said.

The shift to the UMID upgrades the present SSS ID system which has been using the same card technology since it was introduced over a decade ago.

 Last month, SSS and the All Cards Consortium, the group that won the bid to produce the cards, signed a memorandum of agreement to produce the 12 million UMIDs.

The consortium, led by its main proponent All Cards Plastics Philippines, is joined by Stradcom. Corp. and Teco Electric and Machinery Co.

Neri said that once the UMID is out in March, SSS would no longer use the existing identification cards for its members.

Each card will cost P140 but Neri said the agencies would shoulder the cost of the project and would not pass this on to members.

“We will not charge the members because it’s part of our service,” Neri said.