The government is doing everything to provide the necessary help that every Filipino particularly the less fortunate deserves to receive.
In 2016, the House Bill No. 5060 or the Philippine Identification System Act was passed and approved by the Congress. The bill aims to provide all Filipinos a national identification card that can be used for all government transactions. The national ID can be used when applying for PNP and NBI clearance, applying for claims and benefits.
While waiting for the approval of the Senate, the Department of Finance proposed to tap the national ID to determine if the individual is entitled for tax exemptions, discounts, and subsidies. Additionally, the DOF proposed that the ID should include biometrics data for easy identification of the individual.
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The Department is also looking for the possibility of activating the Europay-mastercard-Visa chip into the card. This way, the ID card will serve as an ATM card that the owner can use when receiving cash subsidies or benefits from the government. This will simplify the identification process and disbursement of benefits both for the recipient and the government.
The target initial recipients of the national ID are the senior citizens, indigent families and the persons with disabilities or PWDs. The proposals may be helpful, but may also affect the release and distribution of the IDs.
As to when the recipients can enjoy the benefits of this national ID is yet to know. But, once the bill is enacted, millions of Filipinos will be provided with the national ID within two years. The Philippine Statistics Authority will be responsible for the issuance of the national ID cards