Friday, September 1, 2017

House approves national ID system

Written by Jester P. Manalastas

THE national identification system  (House Bill 6221) was passed at the end of period of debates at the plenary, according to House Committee on Population and Family Relations chair Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones.

It was former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who headed the technical working group in consolidating several version of national id system bills.

“Sa Section 14 po ng ating panukalang batas, inaatasan ang Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) na makipag-coordinate sa Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) at National Privacy Commission (NPC) para maisaayos ang implementasyon ng Fil Sys hinggil sa organizational, physical, and technical security measures na dinisenyo upang tugunan ang risks na involved dito.

“Magkakaroon po ng system para sa protection against natural dangers gaya ng accidental loss or destruction at human dangers gaya ng unlawful access, fraudulent misuse, alteration and contamination ng data,”  Aragones said.

Under the bill,  access to the FilSys shall be restricted to personnel of the PSA, DICT, NPC, and other implementing agencies that have the appropriate security clearance and shall be limited to the extent necessary for the performance of their respective functions relative to the FilSys.

During the interpellation, the issue on whether police authorities can access the database was also raised.
   
According to the oppositors of the measure, this can be exploited by authorities by prying into the lives of Filipinos registered under the FilSys through a continuous surveillance.
   
Aragones, who is also one of the principal authors of the bill, allayed fears surrounding the possibility of being profiled and unduly investigated by police authorities using the unified database system.
   
Aragones said information stored in the FilSys will not be given to third parties except for certain circumstances enumerated in the proposed bill.
   
“Walang probisyon sa panukalang-batas na nagbibigay sa kapulisan ng access sa Fil Sys dahil sa right to privacy na nakapaloob sa ating Saligang Batas.
   
“Ayon po sa Section 13, walang sinuman ang puwedeng mag-disclose o mag-disseminate o magbigay ng personal data na registered sa Fil Sys sa third parties kasama na po d’yan ang law enforcement agencies, national security agencies o AFP, maliban na lamang po sa mga sumusunod: una, kung nagbigay ng consent at inauthorize mismo ng holder ng Fil ID ang pagbibigay ng kanyang personal data; pangalawa, kung may accident, disaster, o fortuitous event, at kailangan malaman ang medical history ng isang tao gaya ng blood type at special medcial needs; ikatlo, kung ang interes ng public health or safety ang nakasalalay; at ikaapat, kung may kautusan na galing sa korte,” Aragones explained.

Aragones added that all applicable laws, including RA 10173 or the Data Privacy Act, will be fully observed in cases of unauthorized or unlawful processing and disclosure of any information registered with the FilSys.
   
She pointed out that any information obtained as a result of unlawful acts previously mentioned shall be inadmissible in any judicial proceedings and cannot be held against the holder of the FilID or the other person involved.
   
Under Section 16 of the proposed bill, [t]he biometric data shall be accepted in case a cardholder fails to present the FilID when transacting business with the government and shall not be a ground to deny or limit the grant of basic government service as long as such transaction allows the non-presentation of the FilID.
   
When passed into law, the FilSys shall prioritize the registration of Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples (ICC/IPs), persons with disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) beneficiaries.

http://www.journal.com.ph/news/nation/house-approves-national-id-system

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