President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Monday, August 6, the law creating the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) to improve the delivery of government and other services to the public, especially those who lack government-issued identification cards.
The PhilSys Act seeks to implement a single official identification card for all citizens and foreign residents that would serve as a de facto national identification number.
National Privacy Commission (NPC) chair Raymund Liboro said the privacy agency was part of the technical working group led by NEDA and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during the drafting of the law.
“We have provided the implementing agency with advice and guidance to address the privacy risks identified at the early stage of project design,” Liboro said in a statement.
“The public may rest assured that the NPC shall continuously press for the adoption of internationally accepted data protection and privacy standards in the implementation of the National ID, such as the deployment of a Privacy by Design approach, and the adoption and comprehensive application of the NPC?s Data Privacy Accountability & Compliance Framework.”
In the implementation of the National ID System, he said the PSA, together with the NPC, “shall endeavor to ensure the full protection of the people?s data privacy rights.”
Under the new law, the PSA is mandated to act as the PhilSys Registry. To protect the individual’s right to privacy, PhilSys would only be released under the following conditions:
1. Upon the consent of the registered person, specific to the purpose prior to the processing;
2. Upon risk of public health and safety when relevant information may be disclosed, provided the risk of significant harm to the public is established and the owner of the information is notified within 72 hours of the fact of such disclosure;
3. Upon order of the court; and
4. When a registered person requests access to his or her registered information and record history, subject to the guidelines and regulations to be issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
