Comelec to come out with new voter’s ID
Based on its Invitation to Bid, the Comelec’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) is looking for bidders for its “enhance voter’s IDs for National Capital Region pilot testing” project. The winner of the P150-million contract would need to supply three million IDs at P50 each, Comelec said. File
MANILA, Philippines - Despite backlogs in producing voters’ identification cards, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) wants to come out with a new ID that will be piloted in Metro Manila.
Based on its Invitation to Bid, the Comelec’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) is looking for bidders for its “enhance voter’s IDs for National Capital Region pilot testing” project. The winner of the P150-million contract would need to supply three million IDs at P50 each, Comelec said.
The House of Representatives is also pushing the national ID system, with the committee on appropriations also pushing for its inclusion in the annual budget for next year.
Committee chairman and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles stressed that the government must be equipped with the means to distinguish law abiding citizens from lawless elements, especially now that terrorism has become the biggest threat to national and global security.
“There should no longer be a reason to delay the passage of the national ID system. We have enough funds to make it happen. I am confident that after the House passage, the measure would be able to gain enough support in the Senate. We want to strengthen the country’s fight against terrorism and criminality,” Nograles said.
The proposed national ID would be machine-readable and contain the holder’s personal data that would be used for identification and transactions related to social security, tax and health.
“Unlike before, identification cards can now be embedded with digital chips. So instead of having several ID cards, a person would need just a single card for all his government transactions because all the needed information can be stored there. It is cheaper and definitely more convenient for both the government and our citizenry,” Nograles added.
The Comelec plans to pilot test the new voter’s ID in Metro Manila by August “to see how the people will react,” said Chairman Andres Bautista.
“From that, we will decide what to do next… The new IDs will be better and they will be at the level of the driver’s license,” he noted.
The Comelec has a total backlog of 24 million IDs that contain voter’s biometrics data – including digital signatures, fingerprints and photographs.
– With Jess Diaz
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