Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III has filed a resolution urging the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the backlog of national ID cards.
In his proposed Senate Resolution No. 1192, Pimentel called for a comprehensive review of the implementation of Republic Act No. 11055, also known as the Philippine Identification System Act.
Pimentel said that he seeks to address delays in the issuance of Philippine Identification (PhilID) cards as he emphasized the need to develop and execute a catch-up plan to resolve the backlog.
As of August 2, 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recorded over 89 million registrations under the PhilSys system but has distributed only about 53 million physical PhilID cards. The backlog of 32 million cards, Pimentel noted, is largely due to the limited capacity of printing facilities.
“Republic Act No. 11055, also known as the ''Philippine Identification System Act was enacted to establish a single national identification system referred to as the Philippine Identification System (Philsys) aimed at promoting efficient, transparent, and seamless delivery of public services, as well as to enhance administrative governance and financial inclusion,” Pimentel’s resolution states.
On August 15, 2024, the Monetary Board terminated the contract between the BSP and AllCard Inc. (ACI) for the supply and delivery of 116 million PhillD cards due to the supposed failure of the supplier to meet contractual obligations.
Pimentel also said in the resolution that the termination of the contract has resulted in a need for a new vendor and has raised concerns regarding the continuity and efficiency in the implementation of RA No. 11055.
Pimentel’s resolution also seeks to find out the underlying root causes of the delays and inefficiencies in the implementation of RA No. 11055.
The resolution was referred to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights as the primary committee and the Committee on Finance as a secondary committee.
Pimentel’s resolution also highlighted the urgent need to establish for more stringent standards to ensure that vendors selected for the project have the capacity, reliability, and track record to avoid similar setbacks.
"The Philippine Identification System was designed to simplify and expedite the delivery of public services, but these delays undermine its purpose," Pimentel said in a statement.
"The root causes of the delays must be uncovered to prevent further disruptions," Pimentel added.