MANILA, July 5 – The government targets to issue a national ID system starting 2020 in a bid to further improve the delivery of services and ensure that recipients of state financial aids will securely receive it.
Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua said they target to properly identify the efficient way to have a national ID system within two years and initial holders are poor families who get financial aid from the government.
He said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is considering a PHP2 billion budget for this program under the proposed 2018 national budget alone while its 2019 funding has yet to be determined.
He said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is being considered to be the implementing agency for this program, which he said will use biometrics and pictures as well as secured technology.
Issues about security will be ensured under this program, he stressed, citing that people do not question the government for getting their personal details and biometrics in the issuance of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) IDs.
“So I think majority will be happy about it,” he told reporters after the Tax Reform Forum held Wednesday in EDSA Shang-ri La.
With the first package of the proposed tax reform seen to be approved by Congress this year for implementation starting 2018, the government eyes to disburse about PHP2,400 a month for a year to about 10 million poor Filipino households to mitigate the impact of the increase in excise tax on oil.
Chua said that since the national ID system is not yet in place next year the funds will be disbursed to the intended beneficiaries through the existing system being used under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which is through automated teller machine (ATM) cards issued by the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank).
He added that this one-year financial aid is only temporary and is on top of the existing programs such as 4Ps and the conditional cash transfer. (JSV/PNA)
