By Arjay L. Balinbin

MALACAÑANG will decide in the next Cabinet meeting on the National Identification (ID) system, Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said.

“Sa susunod na Cabinet meeting po baka magkaroon na ng desisyon dahil napakatagal po iyong pag-uusap tungkol diyan sa national ID system,” Mr. Roque told reporters in a televised press briefing in Palawan on Wednesday, March 7.

(In the next Cabinet meeting, there might be a decision because this has been a longstanding discussion about the national ID system.)

In December last year, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, chairperson of the Senate subcommittee on the national identification system, said the Senate is targeting to pass the proposed law by the first quarter of this year.

“So they wanted really to find out what the final legislative output will be before a decision could be made,” Mr. Roque said in a press briefing last Tuesday.

Asked whether there are initial proposals, Mr. Roque said: “Well, ang proposal lang is kinakailangan ba smart ID o hindi. So may mga ganoon — kailangan ba multipurpose na iyong ID o talagang just for purposes of identification?” (Well, the only proposal is whether the ID should be a smart ID or not, or whether it should be a multipurpose ID or just for purposes of identification.)

Budget Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno, in a press statement in January, said the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) includes an allocation for the implementation of the National ID System.

“P2.0 billion is…earmarked for the implementation of the National ID System. The said allocation is within the budget of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and will ensure that public resources are delivered to their intended beneficiaries. The National ID system will limit leakages in the delivery of social services programs, particularly the cash transfer programs of the government,” the budget secretary said.

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