Philippine National ID soon, know the advantages and disadvantages

The government is hoping to roll out the national ID system using biometrics of all citizens and resident aliens in the Philippines as early as next month.

The Senate on Monday, March 19, approved Senate Bill 1738 on 3rd and final reading, with minority senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros opposing the measure.

The bill is seen to deter criminality by instituting a single official identification for all citizens and foreign residents in the country.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the launch of the national ID system supports the central bank’s aspiration for a more digital economy.

“Our great expectation is that we will have finally a proper national ID law as early as next month,” he said.

Espenilla pointed out the BSP has been a major partner in promoting the adoption of “what we call a foundational biometric ID system.”

The Senate approved on third and final reading the bill, “An Act establishing the Philippine Identification System” last month. The House of Representatives approved the same measure in September last year.

Under the bill, an applicant would be given a PhilSys number and PhilID.

The PhilSys Number (PSN) is a randomly generated identification number for each individual, to be incorporated in all identification systems of government agencies.

PhilID is a non-transferable card with the PSN, full name, facial image, date of birth, address, and fingerprints of the bearer.

Under the proposed measure, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is the main implementer and is mandated to act as the respository and custodian of all data.

Compared to other measures supported by law enforcement and national security agencies, a national ID debate is more difficult to traverse because of some positive features that cannot be ignored:

1. Better delivery of and access to government services. A good universal ID system can make the delivery of and access to public services more efficient. It reduces cost both to the government and citizens.
2. Financial Inclusion. An ID system can also address a country’s financial inclusion challenges. It’s been suggested that it could allow unemployed Filipinos avail of financial and banking services.
3. Law enforcement. Governments also see ID systems critical when fighting crime and terrorism. In 2016, when a local commercial bank became involved in a high-profile money laundering case, government agencies echoed calls for a national ID to prevent similar future incidents.
4. Public Safety. A centralized database is also useful during emergencies and other public safety concerns. When the MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) virus broke out in 2014, the Department of Health felt that it could have quickly tracked down people who shared the same flight as a Filipino who tested positive for the virus if a national ID system was in place.
5. Social Inclusion. National IDs can promote social inclusion by providing official identification to people that usually have no access to similar documents.

Meanwhile, several issues also form the core of the resistance to this type of measure. They are significant enough to have kept countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the US from introducing a similar system. They include:

1. Surveillance and Privacy Rights Violations. A national ID system gives government unprecedented access to a huge cache of its citizens’ personal data. This is the greatest danger it poses to any society, as confirmed by the history of many countries which offer examples of its abuse or misuse.
2. Infringements of Other Civil Liberties. Privacy violations usually precede graver human rights abuses. Any government with the ability to keep tabs on its population via an ID system also has the ability to resort to more oppressive activities, involving other related rights.
3. Doubts over Its Effectiveness Against Crime and Terrorism. A national ID system is one item in this wish list given by governments, if asked what do tools they need to combat crime and other threats. This, even if they fail to produce substantial evidence of its effectiveness. Here in the Philippines, a 2005 report by the Senate Economic Planning Office noted the absence of any proof that a national ID system increases security against terrorism.
4. Function Creep. Defined as the use of a tool or system for purposes beyond that originally declared, function creep is a risk to any individual registered in an ID system. In the draft bill pending at the Senate, the protection against unlawful disclosure of registered information does not apply if it is in the interest of “public health or safety”. Who makes such determination is not stated.
5. Costs. Identity management programs are expensive to establish and maintain, and require significant financial commitment from the government. For 2018, the government has allotted P2 billion to the Philippine Statistics Authority to prepare for the rollout of an ID system.
6. Data Security. Government ability to protect data under its custody is also cause for concern. The 2016 Comelec breach only reinforced public perception that the Philippine government is incompetent or poorly equipped to manage and maintain secure information systems. What proof is there that it will fare better when handling a bigger and more complex system?
7. Technical Complexity and Logistical Issues. Other factors that make an ID system difficult to implement include: (a) migration; (b) access to registration centers by citizens and residents; and (c) ill-equipped and unprepared registration centers.

This article is an excerpt from gmanetwork.com gulfnews.com and www.rappler.com