IS it really necessary for the government to acquire a person’s detailed record history to verify his identity under the new national ID system?
The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, will take effect 60 days after its publication in newspapers of general circulation.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the agency mandated to carry out the provisions of the new law, has rolled out the rules in securing the national ID and addressed doubts on the breach of personal information and data privacy.
During the public hearing on the new law’s IRR at the Golden Peak Hotel on Sept. 25, lawyer Rose Ann Tecio, PSA legal service officer, allayed public fears of a personal data breach.
Tecio said the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) will access a person’s personal data only for verification of personal information.
“There will be no illegal access or unauthorized sharing of personal data,” Tecio told participants of the forum.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law RA 11055 last Aug. 6. It seeks to create a single national ID system for all Filipino citizens and Philippine resident aliens to simplify public and private transactions.
The new law also aims to eliminate the need to present other forms of identification when transacting with the government and the private sector, subject to appropriate authentication measures based on a biometric identification system.
PhilSys intends to promote seamless service delivery, improve administrative governance, reduce corruption, strengthen financial inclusion, and promote ease of doing business.
Pursuant to the IRR, every Filipino or resident alien will register personally at any registration facilities. The applicant will be given a “randomly generated, unique, and permanent” PhilSys Number (PSN).
The new national ID will contain the person’s PSN, full name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, blood type, address, marital status (optional), and a front-facing photograph of the individual.
Under the IRR, no person may disclose, collect, record, convey, disseminate, publish, or use any information of registered persons with the PhilSys, or give access to third parties or entities, including law enforcement agencies.
But when the compelling interest of public health or safety so requires and provided that the risk of significant harm to the public is established, the relevant information may be disclosed upon order of a competent court.
The issuance of the new national ID will be free of charge. However, certain charges may be collected when the person wants to replace a lost card. (GMD)