A CONSORTIUM which includes the Ayala and Aboitiz groups submitted to the government an unsolicited proposal for the design and development of the national identification (ID) system.
In separate disclosures to the stock exchange on Tuesday, conglomerates Ayala Corp. (AC) and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. said they have partnered with Unisys Philippines for the “national identity infrastructure solution.”
“Please be informed that a consortium comprised of Unisys Philippines, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. and Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. has submitted an unsolicited proposal under RA 7718 (BOT Law) to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on August 13, 2018 for the design and development of a national identity infrastructure solution, which is intended to collect, store, maintain, manage, and authenticate identity information of individuals,” AC told the stock exchange.
Unisys Philippines is a global information technology company, which provides security software and services; digital transformation and workplace services; among others. According to its website, it has worked with the PSA to “reduce service time and maintain document integrity.”
The PSA is the government’s primary implementing agency for the Philippine Identification System Act (PhilSys), which was signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Aug. 6.
“The 17-year proposal provides an expedient, comprehensive and long-term solution that will enable the government to realize the full potential of its strategic programs by providing a safe and secure identification and benefits payment mechanism for individuals transacting with the government,” AC said.
One of the goals in creating a national ID system is to “curtail bureaucratic red tape, promote the ease of doing business, (and) also avert fraudulent transactions,” Mr. Duterte earlier said.
The national ID is set to be fully implemented by next year.
The PSA is supposed to conduct test runs of the national ID in selected regions for the next months before 2019. It said in an earlier statement the pilot tests is intended to “lay down the registration process prior to the full 5-year implementation starting 2019.” — Denise A. Valdez

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