Gatchalian: Nat'l ID system could be useful for Pinoys in future pandemics

The implementation of a national identification (ID) system in the Philippines could help the government launch timely actions for pandemics like coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which may affect the country in the future, a senator said Friday.

“Matagal nang naipasa ang Philippine Identification System Act sa bansa. Napapanahon na upang ito’y gamitin bilang tugon sa mga emergency situations tulad ng krisis na nararanasan natin ngayon,” Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said in a statement.

He cited the best practices of Taiwan and Singapore which utilized their respective national ID systems for early detection of people who had recent travel history to other countries affected by COVID-19.

Contact tracing became more convenient in the said countries, he added.

“The Philippines may learn from the experiences of Singapore and Taiwan on how these countries harnessed their national IDs in containing the outbreak that is sweeping across the globe. That’s why the government needs to implement the national ID system as soon as possible to ensure that we will be more ready in case of future pandemics,” Gatchalian said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III blamed the airlines which carried two coronavirus-infected passengers for the slow contact tracing of individuals who were exposed on those flights.

"Airlines are not sharing the contact details of the passengers. They are invoking confidentiality," Duque said in a Senate hearing in February.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson said the delay in the implementation of the national ID system is also a factor that slows down the Department of Social Welfare and Development's distribution of emergency aid amid the COVID-19 health emergency.

"No distribution system is perfect considering the number of families involved in the cash dole out, further complicated by a less efficient database due to the late implementation of the national ID system," he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Philippine Identification System Act in August 2018. It seeks to harmonize, integrate, and interconnect the countless and redundant government IDs by establishing a single national identification system.

The national ID will contain the PhilSys number, full name, facial image, sex, date of birth, blood type, and address of the concerned individual.

Philippine Statistics Authority previously said the mass enrollment for the ID system will start in mid-2020.—AOL, GMA News