Press Release
June 12, 2019

Drilon assures enough safeguards in National ID system law

Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, the principal author of the Philippines Identification System Act,on Wednesday assured Filipinos that there are enough safeguards in the law to protect their privacy, underscoring that the law's main objective is to enhance the delivery of basic services to the public.

Drilon's statement sought to allay public's fears as the Malacanang announced the pilot testing of the national ID system will begin in September.

Drilon said that the law would ensure efficient delivery of service and ease transactions with government agencies.

"The law has enough safeguards to protect the sanctity of theindividual's information and protect their right to privacy," Drilon said. "It protects against unlawful disclosure of information and punishes those who will subvert the system for unlawful ends."

With a national ID system in place, Drilon said it would be easier for individuals seeking basic services from the government to identify themselves and for agencies, both public and private, to verify the information.

"We provided a balance between enhancing the system of legal identification for better service delivery and protecting the right to privacy. The type of information collected and the purposes for which they may be used is limited," Drilon said.

He explained that the data that will be included in the national ID system would not be different from the information that are currently present in all government-issued IDs.

The senator also stressed that the law would not affect data privacy as the pertinent provisions of the Data Privacy Act will still apply. He also said that the law had nothing to do with the non-passage by the 17thCongress of the proposed amendments to the human security.

Under the new law, a Common Reference Number (CRN) will be given to all Filipinos containing essential information such as full name, address, date and place of birth, sex, civil status, signature, CRN and date of card issuance, along with a recent photo.

He emphasized that the CRN/ID can be used by a citizen in its transactions with all branches of the government, thereby making it move convenient for Filipinos to avail of government services.

The ID will also be honored when transacting with certain private institutions, like banks, he noted.

Filipinos living and working abroad can register at embassy or consular offices in their countries of location to get their assigned CRN.

"Today, you open a wallet and you will find a driver's license, a voter's ID, an SSS/GSIS ID, Philhealth ID, Tax Identification Number card, among others. Once the National ID is distributed to every single Filipino here and abroad, transactions will be made easier and faster," Drilon said.

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