Acquiring national ID is not voluntary but mandatory, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said Sunday.
The principal author of Republic Act No. 11055, the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act, which creates one ID card for each citizen and resident alien, called out the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for saying that acquiring national ID is voluntary.
"Alam mo ang layunin ng Philippine ID system ay mandatory identification sa lahat ng citizens. In fact, sinasabi sa batas, sa ating RA No. 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act, upon birth or registration, meron na pong randomly generated PHilSys number ang bawat citizen,” the House leader told the DZBB in an interview.
(The objective of the Philippine ID system is the mandatory identification of all citizens. In fact, according to the law, RA 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act, upon birth or registration, every citizen will have their own randomly generated PhilSys number)
“Ito ay hindi voluntary, kundi ito po ay mandatory. Nagtataka nga po ako kung bakit ang taga Philippine Statistics Authority, sinasabi na ito ay voluntary, hindi po ito voluntary. Ito po ay isang mandatory na kung saan ang lahat ng Pilipino ay magkakaron ng tinatawag na PhilSys ID,” he added.
(This is not voluntary, but mandatory. I am wondering why those from the Philippine Statistics Authority are saying that this is voluntary, this is not voluntary. This is mandatory wherein all Filipinos will have their so-called PhilSys ID)
In a media interview last Oct. 1, PSA Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista said all Filipinos, including resident aliens, can choose whether or not to apply for the national ID, explaining that it is voluntary.
She said the public is highly encouraged to secure their national ID.
Barbers disagreed with the PSA, saying that RA 11055, which was enacted on Aug. 6, 2018, clearly provides that establishment of the PhilSys or a single identification system for all Filipino citizens and resident aliens.
He said one year from the effectivity of the law, every Filipino citizen or resident alien shall register personally with authorized centers.
Barbers even noted that upon birth or registration, a randomly generated Philsys Number (PSN) will be assigned to the citizen or alien resident.
All the PSN numbers of all the registered persons – with the registered records and record history – will be contained in the PhilSys Registry, and that individual’s record in the PhilSys shall be considered as an official and sufficient proof of identity, according to Barbers.
“Pag nagapply ng iyong ID, itong number na naasign sa yo, 'yan ang magiging ID number hanggang dulo ng iyong buhay,” Barbers said.
(If you apply for your ID, the number that will be assigned to you, that will be your ID number until the end of your life.)
He said through the Phil ID, one can transact business in all government and private agencies and offices since the national ID is considered proof of identity.
PSA chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa had announced that the registration for the national ID system is expected to start on Oct. 12.