Senate sees approval of national ID bill
Senator Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on the national ID system, said there is a “good chance” the scheme would be implemented in 2018 as the measure is progressing in the chamber and has passed third and final reading in the House of Representatives. PRIB/Albert Calvelo, File
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate aims to pass the bill seeking to implement a national ID system in the first quarter of 2018 and its authors are hoping that it becomes a law within the year.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on the national ID system, said there is a “good chance” the scheme would be implemented in 2018 as the measure is progressing in the chamber and has passed third and final reading in the House of Representatives.
He said the subcommittee will hold one last hearing on Monday to continue to listen to arguments against the measure.
“Give or take first quarter next year, this can be passed on second and third reading,” Lacson told reporters after holding a hearing on the bill.
He said in anticipation of the passage of the measure, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – the measure’s lead implementing agency – has been initially allotted P2 billion in the 2018 national budget to implement the ID system.
He said it took India and Indonesia – two of the most populous countries in the world – five years to implement such a system.
“In our case, because we’re trying this for the first time, it may take longer, depending on technology that’s available,” Lacson said, adding the Duterte administration is fully supportive of the measure.
He said the proposed national ID system will surely have biometric data, and the PSA will try to find a way to consolidate the information collected by various agencies like the Social Security System and the Commission on Elections.
The senator said aside from facilitating the delivery of basic services from the government, the national ID system will help in fighting crime.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, one of the principal authors of the bill, allayed fears that the proposal would compromise the right to privacy, saying the bill’s main objective is to enhance the delivery of basic services.
“We want to debunk for the record the claim that the bill may affect data privacy as the pertinent provisions of the Data Privacy Act will still apply,” Drilon said during yesterday’s hearing.
In a separate statement, Drilon said the measure should not be viewed as a threat to security as the bill’s main objective is “to ensure efficient delivery of service and ease transactions with government agencies.”
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