The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Sunday that a unified identification system for persons with disability will be implemented by December.
“By the end of this year, we will be having a unified ID system,” agency spokesperson Irene Dumlao told Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.
The agency is now working on the terms of reference of the ID system, she said, adding it is also working with the National Privacy Commission to ensure the data security of the ID cardholders.
Apart from these, the DWSD is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Philippine Statistics Authority for the smooth issuance of the unified PWD IDs, she noted.
According to Dumlao, the new PWD IDs would bear security features, such as radio frequency identification, to link establishments to a webpage portal for verification of the legitimacy of the user.
Republic Act 10754 mandates a 20 percent discount and a value-added tax exemption on the purchase of certain goods and services from all establishments for the PWDs.
The unified PWD ID system is DSWD’s answer to the proliferation of fake PWD IDs, which has caused many businesses to complain about how they affect their revenues.
It can be recalled that the Restaurant Owners of the Philippines (RESTO PH) has denounced the “widespread abuse” of fake PWD IDs for discounts in restaurants and other establishments, noting that it “is now putting a serious strain on restaurants and other businesses.”
This raised public attention enough to cause law enforcement agencies to pursue the printers of fake PWD IDs.
Last week, government agents raided a small room in Manila where fake PWD IDs were allegedly being printed, issued by Quezon City, Manila, Pasig, Muntinlupa, and Angat in Bulacan.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue issued a warning last December against the sale and use of counterfeit PWD IDs, calling them a form of tax evasion.
Recently, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said fake PWD IDs cost the government around P88.2 billion in lost revenue in 2023.