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Trillanes wants swift passage of national ID system bill


Senator Antonio Trillanes IV urged his colleagues on Sunday to hasten the passage of the country's national ID system law, which he said could also serve as a preventive measure against crime and terrorism.

In a press statement, he said that Senate Bill No. 95, or the Bill Creating the Filipino Identification Card, seeks to provide easy access to information about criminals and lawless elements.

"Aside from promoting efficient delivery of public services by curbing the perennial problem of providing various identifications in transacting with the government, this national ID system could also help our anti-crime and anti-terror campaign," he said.

"By having a centralized database, we would have easy access to information about suspects, fugitives and other lawless elements," he added.

A similar bill, the National Identification Bill, has already passed committee deliberations at the House of Representatives.

Under SB 95, the government will issue IDs that will integrate all government identification systems and also serve as the official ID of all Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.

Applicants can register and claim their IDs at the Office of the Local Civil Registrar of the city or municipality where they are residing once the bill is enacted.

On the other hand, the Department of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), will handle registrations of Filipinos abroad at the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consular Office of the country where they are residing.

The application fee for the Filipino ID will be for free as this part of the government's social service responsibility, the statement noted.

Moreover, the PSA will be tasked to create and maintain a Filipino Citizen Registry that will contain all registered records of citizens with a Filipino ID.

The PSA can also encourage the private sector and local government units to have additional benefits to Filipino ID holders.

Trillanes said the passage of the bill would provide the government a single database of Filipinos who can benefit from its services.

"By having a single database of the identification of Filipinos, this measure could also reduce leakage in providing social services to the people, such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program bureaucracy and in simplifying the process relative to public and private services," Trillanes said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/LBG, GMA News

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