Nat’l ID system to start in September this year, gov’t says
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered government agencies to choose the “best and safest system in the implementation of the national ID system,” the Palace said on Thursday, Feb. 7.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President gave the order during the 34th Cabinet meeting in Malacanang on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
During the meeting, Panelo said National Statistician Lisa Bersales reported that the national ID system will be implemented starting September 2019.
She said six million Filipinos were being targeted for registration this year, Panelo said.
According to Panelo, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon “mentioned that this is very critical for our security..”
He added Hermogenes “suggested that the cybersecurity of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) take the lead and the security of data be taken care of by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) with the help of the DICT.”
Under Republic Act 11055 or the Philippine Identification Systems Act signed by Duterte last year, a single national identification system, or PhilSys, will be established for all citizens and resident aliens of the country.
Each citizen and resident alien, it said, would be assigned a PhilSys number, which shall be “standard” across all government agencies.
The law said the aim was to “promote seamless delivery of service, to improve the efficiency, transparency and targeted delivery of public and social services, to enhance administrative governance, to reduce corruption and curtail bureaucratic red tape,” among others.
