Gov’t ID system in place by October — Neri

All government employees covered by the initial phase of the national identification system will have their ID cards by October this year, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) director Romulo Neri announced yesterday.

Neri, head of the task force created to implement the ID system, said the government is presently collating all the necessary information for the IDs from the databases of government agencies and institutions including the Philippine Health Insurance and the National Statistics Office.

Neri also joined Malacañang officials in brushing aside claims that the unified ID system could result in invasions of privacy and violations of human rights.

Neri cited the recent Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday justifying the unified ID system for state workers as legal and constitutional.

Neri said the high court noted the information required for the controversial ID system is the same as that already indicated on passports, driver’s licenses and ID cards issued by government agencies such as the Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS) and Social Security System (SSS).

Although the scope of coverage for the ID system is limited for now to executive offices, Malacañang expressed hopes that Filipinos will eventually see the merits in adopting a national ID system for every citizen.

A national ID system, Malacañang stressed, could help to distinguish criminals or terrorists from law-abiding citizens.

Malacañang found itself an ally in the person of opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson who supported the proposal to extend the coverage of the ID system.

Lacson said Malacañang’s proposal had merit since it would provide proper security safeguards aside from improving efficiency in the bureaucracy.

He pointed out the idea of adopting a unified national ID was incorporated in the bill he had previously filed calling for a single code to be given to each citizen at birth along with a reference card carrying their code number and other vital information.

Malacañang appealed to Lacson to influence his colleagues in the Senate to consider the merits of adopting a unified identification system.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Lacson’s proposal to adopt a single ID system would speed up government transactions aside from other benefits.

"For once, we are in agreement with Senator Lacson when he talks about the national ID system and we hope he can drive the same sentiment through to his colleagues in the Senate," Bunye said.

Bunye stressed the need to adopt a unified ID system "is clear and compelling and we see no reason for any political leader to stonewall on this issue."

He said a nationwide ID system would not only facilitate faster public transactions but also prevent the commission of crimes and fight terrorism.

Law enforcement agencies also lauded the proposal to adopt a unified ID system on a national scale.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said a national ID system will definitely help the police in its campaign against criminality.

Apart from its inherent security benefits, a national ID system is expected to speed up the delivery of vital government services and application processes.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the initial phase of a unified ID for government employees would be a useful tool in identifying people who are subject to criminal investigations.

While the order only covers government employees, NBI Deputy Director for Intelligence Service Edmund Arugay said the unified ID system would complement the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) of the NBI.

AFIS uses a set of computers with special scanners to gather and store vital information of suspected criminals and terrorists for a national database.

With the computerized recording equipment of AFIS, Arugay explained, "within seconds we would be able to identify the owner of the fingerprints that were lifted from a crime scene." —With Evelyn Macairan