The chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on Monday urged the Philippine Statistics Authority to include new college graduates in 2019 among those to be prioritized in the roll out of the National ID system, saying the National ID would make it easier for graduating students to transition to the country’s workforce.
“We expect around 700,000 students to graduate next year, and having the National ID will make it much easier for them to apply for so many requirements needed when they get employment,” Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said.
According to PSA, which is spearheading the roll-out of the National ID, the law’s implementing rules and regulations are expected to be finished by October, with procurement expected to begin in the same month.
At present, those to be prioritized are indigent families, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities––recipients of government social services.
Nograles said that new graduates should also be included as possession of a National ID will facilitate their application for (1) services and benefits offered by the GSIS, SSS, Philhealth, HDMF and other government agencies; (2) applications for passports and driver’s license, and tax-related transactions; and (3) applications and transactions for employment purposes, opening of bank accounts and other transactions with banks and other financial institutions.
“The transition from student to worker can be very jarring. Securing a great job by itself can be very stressful for young men and women who are fresh out of college, so I believe they would benefit immensely if government helps them out as they start their lives as productive citizens,” Nograles said.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Philippine System Identification Act, commonly referred to as the National ID System, last August.
It establishes a single official identification card for all citizens that integrates and interconnects various government-issued IDs, and its implementation is expected to result in improvements in the delivery of social services. Maricel V. Cruz
For 2018, P2 billion is allocated under the PSA for the national ID system in the General Appropriations Act while another P2.1 billion is allocated in the proposed 2019 National Expenditure Program to support its full implementation.
The National ID system has 13 sets of information, namely the PhilSys number; the bearer’s full name, sex, blood type, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, and photo.
More information will be stored in the PhilSys registry, such as the bearer’s mobile number, email address, and biometrics data, including full set of fingerprints and iris scan.