THE SENATE Finance Committee has approved the proposed P12.21-billion budget of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and its attached agencies next year, a large chunk of which would be used for maintenance and other operating expenses worth P8 billion.
At the same hearing, Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian asked officials from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) if the National Identification System could be used to improve verification of registered subscriber identity modules (SIM), given the uptick in their use in scams.
“We are working with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and telecommunications firms in implementing this (registration), and they can refer to the National ID system when they register users,” National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa said.
“Right now, we have registered 81 million in the national ID system, which is 80% of the population,” he added.
However, Mr. Mapa said only about 39.7 million physical Philippine Identification Cards and 40.8 digital IDs have been delivered as of Sept. 8.
Senator Ronald “Bato” M. Dela Rosa suggested that the PSA could scrap issuing physical IDs and focus on going digital since the pace for the former is too slow. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
