Philippines legislator pushes for simplified ID requirements

A legislator in the Visayas region of the Philippines is pushing for organizations to be required to accept any single valid ID, as Manila has faced difficulties in distributing its official national ID.

The country’s central bank is preparing to re-tender the contract for producing its national ID cards.

In Cebu City, 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia introduced the so-called “One Valid ID” bill. The goal is to make it simpler for citizens when dealing with government agencies and private entities.

The “One Valid ID” bill establishes 19 forms of identification as valid proofs of identity, thereby simplifying identification requirements for public transactions. The proposed law would also prohibit government and private agencies from requiring more than one identification document for any transaction.

To help enforce the new practice, the bill proposes fines of up to 500,000 Philippine pesos (approximately US$8,900) for any individual or office that refuses to recognize the validity of any of the listed IDs.

In addition, House Bill 10973 outlines penalties to deter fraudulent use of government-issued IDs. Those found guilty of fraudulent activities related to the use of these IDs may be imprisoned from six months to three years, and face fines from PHP50,000 to PHP3 million.

In August 2018, under former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, the Southeast Asian country was to introduce the national Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). The introduction of this official national identity card was aimed to reduce red tape and criminality. But numerous challenges have arisen, such as the printing quality of the IDs and distribution, which has meant delays in the implementation of PhilSys.

“The thorough implementation of the PhilSys ID has been difficult and incomprehensive due to recent pandemic and logistical challenges,” Garcia said, as quoted in The Manila Times.

He added: “Despite the pronouncement concerning the objective of PhilSys, certain government agencies and private entities still require multiple forms of identification, practically meaning that each ID, standing alone, is invalid.”

Through the “One Valid ID” bill, Garcia means to address these issues and make the process of accessing public services more efficient for citizens.

Efficiency is also the aim of the game for the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), in the Philippines, as it urges its citizens to make use of the agency’s online registration system. Taxpayers can register and obtain Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) online through the Online Registration and Update System (ORUS), and the online system is intended to ease the problem of counterfeit TIN identification cards.

The digital TIN is a government-issued digital ID that is recognized for transactions with government agencies, employers, banks, and other official institutions. TIN IDs can be verified by using the QR code, and scanning them with mobile phones or digital devices. The BIR reminded the public that the digital TIN ID is free and not for sale, as the agency has experienced challenges with “bogus employers” who can make it seem they are employing far more people than they actually are, and who may also sell TIN numbers they have obtained.

ID developments in the Philippines are ongoing especially as the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) hosted the third Philippine Identity Summit a couple weeks ago, which brought together stakeholders from government and the private sector in Quezon City, just northeast of Manila. A statement released by the PSA asserts ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange, and that a total of 90 million Filipinos have been registered to the national ID system as of 19 September.

The government says it is on track to register all Filipinos for digital IDs by the end of 2025.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  government services  |  identity management  |  legislation  |  national ID  |  PhilID  |  Philippines