Unified Multi-purpose ID System to be Implemented Soon
The National Statistics Office and National Economic Development Authority are pilot agencies in the implementation of Executive Order No. 420 otherwise known as the Unified Multi-purpose Identification (UMID) system issued by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, directing government agencies under the executive branch to harmonize identification systems and adopt a uniform ID data collection and format.
According to Catalino G. de Gracia, Statistician II, of the local NSO UMID will give people easy access to government transactions. “It will start with the NSO and NEDA this year, then to all government agencies by January 2007 and eventually to the local government units”, he said. “It will not violate the individual’s right to privacy since it only ask the basic information about the person, similar to our Office or Government Security Insurance System(GSIS) ID cards”, he stressed.
The People’s ID will contain basic data such as name, sex, place of birth, name of parents, photo graph, signature, finger prints and additional information like home address, height, weight and Tax Identification Number (TIN). A 12-digit lifetime common reference number will be assigned to each ID card holder.
UMID system will enable Filipinos to avail of vital government services sans the red tape, to land jobs and contribute to the general peace and order. It will also further increase the confidence in the economy and project the Philippines as a disciplined and forward-looking society in the eyes of the world.
Romulo Neri, NEDA Secretary said that the UMID implementation will push through after the Supreme Court ruled with finality on the legality of the President’s EO 420 issued April last year. He further said that EO 420 does not violate the Constitution as it is within the President’s constitutional power to direct entities under the executive department to streamline and harmonize existing ID systems and databases.
The People’s ID counts every Filipino as a partner in nation-building, an accountable citizen determined to do his/her share in pulling the country up to attain development. (PIA Antique)