Manila, Philippines — In a televised address of President Rodrigo Duterte last Monday night, he mentioned that the national ID system could have fast tracked the distribution of the government’s emergency cash aid distribution during the COVID-19 crisis.
Duterte claimed that the national ID system program would hastened the distribution of cash aid if it were not opposed by the leftist.
Critics of the proposed program has aired concerned that a national ID system might be used to abuse privacy as well as a means for the Philippine government for control and repression.
“Nagkakaroon tayo ng problema. Hindi ito perfect agad specially so na noon pa sinabi namin yung national ID makatulong. Ang problema dito, ang proponent na ayaw itong mga Left. Kaya kita mo ngayon wala tayong ID system until now,” said PRRD.
“Kung may ID system tayo, naiwasan natin itong mga ito because all we have to do, ang kailangan lang namin tanungin namin ang DILG ilang tao ang barangay na yan then ipadala namin ang pagkain at kunin na lang ninyo doon sa tindahan ninyo or the disposal point wherever it is, ipakita mo ang card mo, ibigay sayo,” he added.
“Ngayon, ayaw ninyo. Ang iba ayaw magpalista. You are not a… hindi ka nakatira sa barangay nito o nakatira sa barangay B or C. Kaya nung nag census ang barangay pati ang DILG, kung wala kayo sa listahan then hindi kayo mabigyan. Hindi na kasal-anan yan, ‘wag kayo magturo sa gobyerno kasi ginawa namin ang lahat noon pa.” the President said.
The chief executive approved the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys Act), or Republic Act No. 11055, in August of 2018.
The law seeks to reconcile and merge several government IDs such as passport, driver's license and voter's ID, by establishing a single national identification system.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III have previously suggested the full implementation of the national ID system to manage the discrepancies between the databases of the national government and the LGUs in distributing the cash aid.
However, Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said using the national ID in this time of health crisis would be “untimely, impractical, and burdensome for the poor.”
The government has started distribution of cash aid for its social amelioration program to be distributed to about 18 million low-income households, almost half of the P275 Billion has already been given and the rest are currently being distributed.
In some parts of Metro Manila, some families have complained, about the slow distribution of the cash aid, while Metro Manila mayors were disappointed with the amounts given to them for this program was based on a 2015 census and was not enough to cover for the poor families on their list.
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