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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Pumaren to fastbreak House probe on national ID rollout delays

Pumaren to fastbreak House probe on national ID rollout delays

Published May 2, 2026 03:11 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Franz Pumaren plans to file a resolution to investigate delays in the national ID rollout, criticizing the Philippine Statistics Authority for poor output despite a nearly P700 million budget.
  • He stressed that the slow distribution of IDs—less than 50 percent issued—hindered the government's ability to deliver fuel aid efficiently to transport workers, especially those without valid IDs.
  • Pumaren warned that the absence of a unified ID system continues to cause inefficiencies, data mismatches, and duplication, worsening the struggles of transport workers hit daily by rising fuel prices.
Quezon City 3rd district Rep. Franz Pumaren (Facebook)
Quezon City 3rd district Rep. Franz Pumaren (Facebook)


Quezon City 3rd district Rep. Franz Pumaren is bent on subjecting the delays in the rollout of the national ID system to a full-blown congressional probe, even as he says the problem has turned into a big hindrance in the distribution of fuel aid.
“I will file a resolution to investigate ‘yung nangyayari dyan sa PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority). Ang laki-laki ng budget—almost P700 million—pero kulang ang output (I will file a resolution to investigate what is happening at the PSA. The budget is huge—almost P700 million—but the output is lacking)," Pumaren said on May 2 during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
Pumaren, chairman of the Committee on Transportation, had earlier slammed the slow rollout of the national ID during the House Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD) Council hearings.
The hearings were held last month for the purpose of drawing up both short-term and long-term solutions to the impact of the fuel price crisis. The local transportation sector was among those hardest hit by this.
According to Pumaren, the delays with the release of the national ID undermined the government’s ability to deliver timely assistance to transport workers.
“Very disappointed ako sa national ID natin. Wala pang 50 percent ang na-distribute (I am very disappointed with our national ID. Less than 50 percent has been distributed)," said the champion professional basketball player-turned-lawmaker.
The national ID system--legally, the Philippine National ID system (PhilSys)--was established on Aug. 6, 2018, when then-president Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) No. 11055 into law.
Pilot registration began in 2019, and full implementation started in 2020, with a planned five-year rollout.
Pumaren noted that many transport workers, particularly in the informal sector, lack valid government-issued IDs. This limits their access to assistance--something that have been easily solved by the national ID.
“‘Yung iba walang passport, walang lisensya, kaya hirap silang makatanggap ng ayuda (Some people have no passport, no license, so they struggle to receive aid)," noted the National Unity Party (NUP) stalwart.
Pumaren says that the absence of a unified ID system continues to cause inefficiencies, data mismatches and duplication.
“Ang importante dito tamang data. Kung wala tayong maayos na identification system, mahihirapan talaga ang gobyerno sa targeting (What's important here is accurate data. Without a proper identification system, the government will really struggle with targeting)."
He also cited cases of duplicate entries and “ghost riders” flagged during the LEAD Council hearing. He said could have been minimized with a fully functional national ID system.
The Quezon City lawmaker said the issue is urgent as transport workers bear the brunt of volatile fuel prices.
“These are sectors na araw-araw tinatamaan ng pagtaas ng presyo ng krudo. Kailangan mabilis at tama ang tulong (These are sectors hit daily by rising fuel prices. Assistance must be swift and precise),' Pumaren said.
The House of Representatives will resume plenary sessions on Monday, May 4 following its six-week summer recess.

Related Tags

Franz Pumaren Fuel price crisis National ID LEAD Council
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