Solon says national ID system ‘won’t work’

The chairman of the House defense committee accused National Security Adviser Roilo Golez yesterday of raising false hopes with his advocacy of a national ID system to combat terrorism.

"We all know that it won’t work. The installation of a national identification system won’t eliminate terrorist attacks," said Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. (Lakas, Surigao del Norte).

But Golez said only experts like James Bond and Steve McGarret could stop terrorists from indiscriminately carrying out attacks. In the real world, there are no perfect secret agents, he said.

Golez was referring to the "James Bond, Agent 007" movies and the television series "Hawaii Five-O," where the main characters manage to deter criminal attacks before they could harm innocent civilians.

Pichay said the campaign against terrorism could take off if the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police improve their performance in intelligence gathering and in dealing with threats.

"There should also be greater participation in the peace and order effort by all Filipinos. Instead of raising false hopes with the ID system, the government should work for greater coordination among intelligence agencies and greater involvement of the people in the fight against terrorism," he added.

Pichay supported the suggestion of a Lakas colleague, Prospero Nograles Jr. of Davao City, for the authorities to enlist the help of barangay officials in the anti-terrorism campaign.

"But they should be given proper training in the identification of terrorists. Their participation should be limited to serving as the eyes and ears in the grassroots of the authorities," he said.

Pichay, however, is not against the concept of a national identification card.

In fact, in October last year, he filed Bill 3369 calling for a national ID that people could use in elections and in transacting business with government offices.

"But I did not intend it to be used in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Golez, in explaining to reporters the difference between fiction and reality during a forum at Manila Hotel yesterday, said "James Bond has a lot of gadgets while Steve McGarret could solve a murder by just looking at a cigarette butt left by the suspect in the crime scene."

Different films have been shown about James Bond in which the agent managed to solve crimes by using sophisticated gadgets.

On the other hand, Hawaii Five-O has actor Jack Lord in the role of Steve McGarret, head of an elite state police unit investigating organized crime, murder, assassination and felonies of every type.

"The real world is not like that. In the real world there was the Moscow incident where a platoon of extremists raided and seized a theater. There was a sniper, who killed at least 10 innocent individuals in Washington," he pointed out.

Golez virtually admitted to having detected the Oct. 18 bomb blast on a passenger bus in Balintawak, Quezon City, where two people were killed and several others wounded. — With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Efren Danao