EDITORIAL - Finally, a national ID

Filipinos have identification cards for driving, voting, gun possession, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., the Home Development Mutual Fund and the Government Service Insurance System. Members of the Social Security System have a Unified Multi-Purpose ID.

Now the government is preparing to roll out, possibly as early as next month, the national ID system, which will contain the biometrics of all citizens and resident aliens in the country.

Among the most enthusiastic about the national ID are finance officials, who say the system will make it easier to identify those qualified for government subsidies, tax exemptions and discounts such as senior citizens and persons with disabilities. These sectors will be among the first to get the national ID.

Also to get priority in the national ID distribution are those belonging to the 5.2 million poorest households not yet covered by the conditional cash transfer program. Tax collection is also expected to be facilitated by the ID system, which is supposed to consolidate data already in other government IDs.

Only people with something to hide – criminals, rebels and members of their front organizations – will fear this system. For most of the people, the only concern is how much trouble they will need to go through in obtaining the ID. It took ages before the Commission on Elections finished distributing voter’s ID cards. The distribution of driver’s license cards, paid for over a year ago, is not yet even complete.

Once the national ID cards are distributed, the next concern is whether their use will be hassle-free. Another concern is whether they can be faked or altered. Authorities must make sure these concerns are addressed as the country finally gets a national ID.