THE National Privacy Commission (NPC) said that the proposed national identification (ID) system sufficiently safeguards data privacy.
NPC Chairman Raymund E. Liboro said that the agency consulted on the data safeguards with the team preparing the national ID.
The NPC is part of the technical working group (TWG) led by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The unified national ID is expected to simplify transactions like opening bank accounts while also ensuring that beneficiaries of government aid can reliably establish their eligibility.
The agency handling the data will be the PSA and will be held in confidence, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Lilia C. Guillermo said in a news conference on May 28.
“The PSA with the technical assistance of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is required to implement reasonable and appropriate organizational, technical, and physical security measures to ensure the protection of information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, and against accidental or intentional loss, destruction, or damage,” Mr. Liboro said in a statement.
Mr. Liboro added that the version of the national ID measure adopted by both houses of Congress retains a section protecting the public against unlawful disclosure of information/records.
The legislation identifies three specific instances where the disclosure, collection, recording, conveyance, dissemination, publication or use of the information of registered persons are authorized: (1) when the registered person gives consent; (2) when the interest of public health or safety requires the disclosure of the information subject to a court order, after the court establishes the risk involved. In such cases the owner of the information must be notified within 72 hours of the disclosure; and (3) when the registered person requests the PSA to provide access to his or her information and record history.
The conditions are “consistent with the policy recognized under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA) of protecting the fundamental human right to privacy while ensuring free flow of information,” Mr. Liboro said.
The Senate’s version of the bill establishing the national ID system was adopted on May 23 at the bicameral level. — Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo

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