CEBU CITY – A Cebuano lawmaker has filed a bill that, if turned into law, will only require the public to present one valid identification card in private and public transactions.
Cebu third district Rep. Pablo John “PJ” Garcia filed House Bill (HB) No. 10973 or the “One Valid ID” bill that lists 19 forms of identification cards that must be recognized as valid proof of identity.
Government agencies and private entities may identify additional IDs as sufficient for transactions in their offices but will not be allowed to ask for more than one.
The bill proposes that any person or office that refuses to accept or recognize as enough any one of these IDs be penalized with a fine of P500,000.
A person found to have used government IDs for fraudulent transactions or falsified these may be imprisoned for six months to three years or fined P50,000 to P3 million or both.
HB No. 10973 aims to complement Republic Act 11055 which established the Philippine Identification System and the PhilSys ID.
“The thorough implementation of the PhilSys ID has been difficult and incomprehensive due to the recent pandemic and logistical challenges,” Garcia said in the bill’s explanatory note.
“Despite the pronouncement concerning the objective of PhilSys, certain government agencies and private entities still require multiple forms of identification, practically meaning that each ID, standing alone, is invalid. This unduly burdens the public when such agencies can definitely ensure the integrity of their government-issued IDs and documents.”
“Individuals may lack the time or resources to apply for the specific identification required by an agency or private business, even though they possess another valid ID duly accepted elsewhere,” Garcia added.