FEB.

26, 2015

NR # 3754

House panel approves ID system

The House Committee on Revision of Laws has reported out for floor deliberation a
measure that establishes the Filipino Identification System.
House Bill No. 5060, which substituted House Bills 11, 489, 2243 and 2249,
mandates every Filipino, whether residing in the Philippines or abroad, to register personal
information required by the ID system for purposes of securing a non-transferrable
Filipino ID Card with a number that shall be valid for life.
Reps. Marlyn L. Primicias-Agabas (6th District, Pangasinan), chairperson of the
Committee on Revision of Laws, and Al Francis C. Bichara (2nd District, Albay) sponsored
the bill, which shall gradually concert and consolidate all existing government-initiated
identification systems into one-integrated and efficient identification system.
Under the bill to be known as the Filipino Identification System Act, every Filipino
residing in the Philippines shall apply for the registration and issuance of the Filipino ID
Card at the office of the Local Civil Registrar of the city where one is resident. Those
living abroad shall apply for registration and issuance of the Filipino ID Card at the
nearest Philippine Embassy or Consular Office of the country where they are residing.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as the implementing agency, shall issue a
Filipino ID Card within 90 days from the registration of live birth.
The parents or the legal guardian of the minor, incompetent or disabled person shall
be responsible for the application and safekeeping of the issued Filipino ID Card.
The Filipino ID Card, which shall be made of tamper-proof security material, shall
have on its face the imprinted photograph, name, birth date, gender, date of issue,
signature of the owner, the corresponding individual serial number issued by the PSA and
such other data as may be deemed necessary. It shall also have the capability to store at
least the biometric data of the individual cardholder.
The ID card may only be replaced when a child reaches the legal age of 18 years
old, when there is a change in name, family name by virtue of court order or by
application of law and when ID card is lost or destroyed. Filipino cardholders are required
to renew their ID card upon reaching the age of 60.
The Filipino ID Card shall be presented in all government transactions including
applications for passport and drivers license; applications for any services and benefits
offered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System
(SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and Home Development

Mutual Fund (HDMF); and applications for clearances from the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI), courts, prosecutor and the police.
It shall also be used as proof of identity, status, age, address, for admission in all
learning institutions, for employment purposes, for transactions in banking and financial
institutions, for availment of benefits or privileges afforded by law to senior citizens and
for voting identification purposes.
The bill penalizes any person who knowingly uses false information in applying for
the issuance of a Filipino ID Card or procures one through fraud and utilizes in an
unlawful manner with a fine of not less than P50,000 but not more than P500,000 or an
imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than two years, or both at the
discretion of the court.
Authors of the bill include Bichara, Agabas and Reps. Isidro T. Ungab (3 rd District,
Davao City), Elisa T. Kho (2nd District, Masbate), Rodel M. Batocabe (PL-Ako Bicol),
Christopher S. Co (PL-Ako Bicol), Anthony G. Del Rosario (1 st District, Davao del
Norte), Ferdinand L. Hernandez (2nd District, South Cotabato), Rodolfo G. Biazon (Lone
District, Muntinlupa City), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2 nd District, Pampanga), Gavini C.
Pancho (2nd District, Bulacan), Rufus B. Rodriguez (2 nd District, Cagayan de Oro City)
and Maximo B. Rodriguez Jr. (PL-ABAMIN). (30) mrs