Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday said he filed a bill amending the Philippine Identification System Act to address growing concerns over data privacy.
“This proposed measure seeks to amend the PhilSys Act to eliminate any visible or printed representation of the PSN (PhilSys Number) on the card, including microprinted forms,” he said in the bill.
“Instead, the PSN will be securely encoded along with biometric information within the card’s QR code,” Lacson explained.
He explained that the existing card design displays the PSN openly alongside other personal details, such as full name, gender, blood type, birth date, and photograph.
Because of this design, individuals may be exposed to identity theft or unwanted surveillance and profiling.
Lacson, principal author and sponsor of the current law, said the measure will also help the Philippine Statistics Authority and other agencies remove unauthorized individuals from the National ID database.
According to his sources, many of these unauthorized registrants are personnel linked to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators who were able to secure IDs through illegal means.
He said cleansing the system would help restore the integrity of the country’s centralized ID registry.
