National ID should be mandatory – lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos should not be allowed to opt out from having a national identification card, one of the proponents of the recently approved Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act said.

Speaking to The Chiefs on Cignal TV’s One News on Friday night, 1-Ang Edukasyon party-list Rep. Salvador Belaro Jr. said the intent of the law is to make national ID mandatory.

“The wording of the law is ‘all citizens and resident aliens.’ The wording is shall, not may, so it is mandatory,” he said.

Lisa Grace Bersales, head of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that will implement PhilSys, earlier said that no one will be forced to have a national ID.

Belaro, Bersales and National Privacy Commission chair Raymund Liboro allayed fears that the privacy of citizens would be compromised because of the program.

Liboro said they will hammer out in the implementing rules and regulations the details of the processes that would be undertaken to ensure that system will not be breached and that the data are protected.

Bersales noted that very little information will be collected by PhilSys, including three that are only optional (marital status, phone number and e-mail address), saying its primary objective is “to provide identity.”

The PSA chief added that a court order is necessary in order for an agency to access information due to “public health or safety issues” and citizens “have to be informed within 72 hours that such information has been divulged.”

Belaro denied that it would discriminate against the poor, claiming it would promote financial and social inclusion since the ID is free of charge.

He also shrugged off concerns over the supposed tracking of citizens, saying that the system would only record the initial application and modifications to the information.

In the same program, Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro said they are concerned that the data may be compromised, citing recent incidents of breaches of public data.

She also noted that the government will require citizens to pay for card replacement in case the ID is lost or a modification entered in the system.