No ID, No Entry: Filipino's penchant for Identification Cards

Blogger's Note: This article shows you how many ID cards Filipinos have to carry. The whole idea to have 1 ID card should be anchored in the concept of convenience with national security as a secondary consideration. The best way to start the National ID Card Program is for anyone that reach 18 years old should be issued an ID card, with his ID number,picture, name, address, signature and other basic information. The card can then be used for verification whenever he/she votes, buy liquor and other "adult" goods. He can also used the ID for applying social security, driver's license and PRC license. Funding can be sourced from the number of IDs it will replace. Simplify and not complicate matters should be the main objective of the ID system.

Getting to know you (and how!)
Posted 02:09am (Mla time) Feb 27, 2005 By Inquirer News Service

FILIPINOS have consistently rejected the idea of a national identification card. In a historic act, Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros tore up their cedulas in August 1896. The cedula personal, equivalent to the present community residence tax, was a symbol of vassalage to Spain. The tearing up of this Spanish identification document marked the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution.

The short-lived First Philippine Republic led by Emilio Aguinaldo also imposed a form of identification certificate and taxation called contribucion personal. But Filipinos found this odious as it was considered a relic of the Spanish colonial rule.

Also unpopular were the residence certificates imposed during the Japanese Occupation and the attempts by President Ferdinand Marcos to come up with a national identification card.

Marcos, who had a penchant for employing instruments for surveillance on citizens to ensure political control, reportedly tried to adopt a national ID project similar to a counter-insurgency program developed by the US Central Intelligence Agency in Vietnam, which required the registration of all Vietnamese 15 years of age and above and the issuance of ID cards to them.

Filipino presidents after Marcos have also flirted with the idea of a national ID. But they, too, had not been successful. For instance, then President Fidel Ramos issued in 1996 an administrative order establishing a national identification system for Filipinos and foreign residents but was rebuffed by the Supreme Court in 1998. The tribunal said the order would put the citizens' right to privacy "in clear and present danger" and usurp the legislative function of Congress. (PDI Research)

The Supreme Court said the collection of "personal information constitutes a covert invitation to misuse, a temptation that may be too great for some of our authorities to resist."

President Macapagal-Arroyo is reviving her proposal for Congress to pass a bill setting up a national ID system following the Feb. 14 bombings in the cities of Makati, General Santos and Davao.

Filipinos already have a surfeit of IDs-SSS ID, GSIS eCard, PhilHealth card, driver's license, PRC ID, Taxpayer's Identification Number, Voter's ID, Postal ID, yellow card if one lives in Makati, and office ID, among others. They may not welcome another ID, which the government could use to snoop on them.

SSS ID
A Social Security System ID bears a member's photo, name, birth date and signature, as well as the SSS ID number. It is primarily used to hasten applications for salary loans and benefits for sickness, disability, maternity, disability and death.

At the back of the ID is a machine-readable magnetic strip that gives the cardholder access to his or her records with the agency after keying in a four-digit PIN number. It may be swiped in information kiosks operated by the SSS in malls.

The ID also helps facilitate transactions with banks, hospitals, health-care providers and other government agencies.

Under the Social Security Act of 1997, SSS membership is compulsory for private employees, whether permanent, temporary, provisional or self-employed, who are not over 60 years old. Household helpers, seafarers, and employees of foreign organizations or governments should also be covered. Children below 15 years of age are also subject to compulsory coverage.

To date, about 7.2 million SSS IDs have been issued by the agency since November 1998. Not all members are entitled to an ID, however. The members should make at least one monthly contribution to the agency before he or she may be issued a card. As of March 2004, membership in the SSS is as follows: employers, 715,564; employees, 20,299,548; and self-employed, 4,925,124

GSIS eCard
The GSIS eCard displays a member's name, picture and Government Service Insurance System number and allows cardholders to transact business with the agency without having to line up at its offices.

GSIS introduced the electronic ID system in September 2004 to replace its old card. As of January 2005, about 280,000 GSIS members had received their IDs out of about 1.4 million government employees.

Members can file their loan applications or benefit claims on the Internet and, with their e-cards, withdraw their loans or benefits over automated teller machines of Bancnet, Megalink and Expressnet.

The GSIS ID is used to speed up transactions with the agency such as applications for loans and claims for life insurance, retirement and other benefits. Members may also use the eCard as a debit card in establishments that accept Visa and Megalink.

One is eligible for GSIS membership if he or she is an appointive or elective official receiving fixed compensation; either a permanent, substitute, temporary, casual or contractual employee with employee-employer relationship; a member of the judiciary or a constitutional commission; and, receiving basic salary but not per diem, honoraria or allowances.

The GSIS has a total of 1,424,845 active members, categorized as follows: national agencies, 400,018; local government units, 390,463; Department of Education, 534,773; and government-owned and controlled corporations, 99,591.

PhilHealth card
The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. card bears the member's name, signature and his or her permanent PhilHealth number. It does not have the cardholder's photo, and so is not used for identification but for verification purposes only.

It is used in PhilHealth transactions such as inpatient and hospital care, and other programs under the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP).

The program covers employed members both in the government and private sector; individually paying members-self-employed, overseas Filipino workers and professionals in private practice; non-paying members-retirees and pensioners of the GSIS and SSS; members who have reached the age of retirement and have paid at least 120 monthly contributions; and indigent members under the component of the NHIP.

Senior citizen's ID
Cities and towns issue a senior citizen's ID to a resident who is at least 60 years old. The ID bears the senior citizen's name, age, address and date of issuance.

The ID entitles the cardholder to a number of privileges such as a 20-percent discount from all establishments, including theaters, restaurants and hotels, and a 20-percent discount in transport fare.

Driver's license
It is unlawful for a person to operate a motor vehicle without having in his possession a valid driver's license.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) issues licenses to motorists. For a non-professional license, the applicant must be at least 17 years old and had undergone at least a month of driving instruction. A professional license applicant must be at least 18 years old and had undergone driving lessons for at least five months.

A driver's license serves as verification that the holder has passed the driver's exam given by the LTO. A license contains the photo of the holder, complete name, exact address, birth date, sex, height, weight, nationality, validity, license number and the restrictions and conditions imposed on the holder by the LTO.

PRC license/ID
The Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) administers, implements and enforces regulatory policies on 42 professions. Once would-be professionals pass their respective board exams and registered themselves with the Commission, they will be given their license certificate and PRC ID. The PRC ID serves as identification and proof that the holder is a registered professional.

The name of the professional, registration number, registration date, validity and profession are the information on the PRC ID. Professionals sign their signatures at the back of the ID. They need to renew their IDs every three years.

TIN
The Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN) ID is issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to employees and business owners. The ID contains the 9-digit TIN, photo, the complete name, birthday, address, the date when the ID was issued and signature of the holder. TIN IDs are valid for life.

Application and issuance of the IDs are entertained by the BIR's various revenue district offices. Aside from serving as proper identification for tax purposes, business establishments such as banks require TIN IDs for certain transactions.

Voter's ID
Information found on the Voter's ID includes the photo, the right thumb mark, the complete name, birth date, civil status, citizenship, address, precinct number and signature of the voter. Also contained in the ID is the municipality and province of the voter and the voter's identification number.

For the 2004 elections, the Commission on Elections underwent a revalidation procedure for voters in an attempt to computerize the voter's list and brand new Voter's ID system. The new IDs should have been used in the 2004 Elections but a lot of the voters did not receive their IDs from their respective barangays before the elections.

Postal IDThe Postal Identity Card or Carte D'Identite Postale is used as proof of identity for post office business. It is popular among Filipinos going abroad as this can be used as identification in addition to a passport. The ID is recognized abroad by members of the Universal Postal Union.

At 7 cm by 10 1/2 cm, the Postal ID card is bigger than the size of most IDs. It contains a bigger photo of the holder, too.

The obverse contains the surname, forename, occupation, nationality, address and the holder's signature. The reverse has the date and place of birth, date of issuance, height, color of hair and eyes, complexion and special marks. All these items have their French equivalent like nom de famille for surname, pr‚nom for forename, domicile for address, etc.

The Postal ID is issued by the postmaster or the manager of any post office in the country.
Employment is not a requisite to get a Postal ID. But the application form requires a reference who can vouch for the identity of the applicant. This form has to be notarized. Application fee is P150.

Residence certificate
The Individual Community Tax Certificate is more commonly known as residence certificate or cedula. It is required of every resident of a town or city, who is 18 years old or over and who has been regularly employed on a wage basis for at least 30 consecutive working days or who is engaged in business or occupation, or who is required by law to file an income tax return.

The cedula contains the name (surname, first, middle), sex, citizenship and Alien Certificate of Registration for foreigners, place of birth, date of birth, height, weight, civil status, community tax due and tax paid.

It is required when one acknowledges a document before a notary public, takes the oath of office upon election or appointment to any position in government, receives a license, certificate, or permit from a public authority, pays a tax or fee, receives money from any public fund, transacts other official business, or receives a salary or wage from a person or corporation.

Yellow card
Makati City's health program, popularly known as the yellow card, was conceptualized as a benefit and not as an identification card.

The yellow card program was conceptualized in 1986 to provide Makati residents with monthly incomes below P18,000 access to quality health care. Senior citizens and city government employees like public school teachers, policemen, and firemen are also included in the program.

Card holders could avail themselves of the following services at the Ospital ng Makati: surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, medicine, otolaryngology (eyes, nose and throat), opthalmology, dermatology and orthopedics.

Last year, the city government allotted P165,000,000 for the program.

The Makati Health Program Office has approved of 297,181 yellow-card holders from 1986 until October 2003. Around 65,000 qualified residents were given yellow cards as of February 2005.

The yellow card has two types: the family card and the solo card. Legitimate residents of Makati with spouses and children, including government employees, househelp, and senior citizens with spouses 59 years old and below can qualify for the family card.

Single residents, senior citizens, government employees who are non-residents of Makati, Sangguniang Kabataan officers and single househelp can avail themselves of the solo card.

Information stated in the yellow card includes the name, address, birthday and classification of the holder.

©2005 www.inq7.net all rights reserved
This story was taken from www.inq7.net
http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=1&story_id=28786