MALITA, Davao Occidental–Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque on Monday said Filipinos have nothing to fear with the enactment of the national ID system, saying privacy rights will remain protected.
Roque said that the Philippine Identification System Act, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte into law Monday, the government is mandated to protect personal information that may be gathered in connection with the law.
Roque gave the assurance in a press briefing on the sidelines of the mass oath-taking of new members of the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) here on Monday.
Roque said the current national ID system is unlike the previous proposal declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court for lacking data protection safeguards.
“This time around, there is privacy law and in the law itself, the government has the obligation to protect the data gathered because of the national ID system,” he said
Roque expressed confidence the law will pass constitutional muster should it be challenged in the courts.
He also underscored the importance of the National ID in promoting national security, preventing identity theft and in promoting better delivery of services from the government to the people.
While getting a national ID is not compulsory, Roque said having one would make easy to verify identity and promote national security.
The National ID System seeks to integrate and interconnect some 30 redundant government IDs by merging these into a single national ID system, or PhilSys, which will have PhilSys Number or PSN, the PhilID and PhilSys Registry.
The PhilID will be a non-transferable card containing on its face the PSN, full name, facial image, date of birth, address and fingerprints of the individual. (Lilian C Mellejor/PNA)
