Ayala, Aboitiz partner for nat’l ID infra system

MANILA, Philippines — Ayala Corp. and Aboitiz Equity Ventures, two of the country’s biggest conglomerates, teamed up to vie for the government’s national ID infrastructure system.

 AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. and Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., together with global IT company Unisys Philippines, submitted on Monday an unsolicited proposal to the Philippine Statistics Authority to develop the country’s first ever national identity infrastructure solution.

Ayala Corp. managing director Jose Almendras said the consortium is proposing a 17-year term for collecting, storing, maintaining, managing and authenticating the identity information of individuals.

“This 17-year proposal provides an expedient, comprehensive and long-term solution that will enable the government to realize the full potential of its strategic programs by providing a safe and secure identification and benefits payment mechanism for individuals transacting with government,” Almendras said.

Almendras said the consortium’s proposal would involve digital ID cards and would be similar to those used in other countries. The consortium will provide more details on its plan.

The proposal comes on the heels of President Duterte’s signing of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act, which will first be implemented in selected regions in the coming months before the full five-year implementation.

The law will pave the way for the creation of a national identification system, which the government said would ensure that majority of Filipinos would have access to public services.

PSA, an attached agency of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), will spearhead the implementation of the ID system.

Duterte signed the law on Aug. 6, which aims to cut red tape, reduce corruption, improve the delivery of basic services and serve as a tool to keep the public safe.

Multilateral development agencies have been pushing for the national ID system, saying that many Filipinos cannot avail themselves of government services because of lack of proper identification documents

 Under the plan, the national ID shall contain a person’s Philippine identification system number, full name, gender, blood type, date of birth, place of birth, marital status, address, and a front facing photo.

 Prior to the signing of the PhilSys Act, the Philippines had no national ID system with citizens using multiple government IDs such as driver’s license, passports, Social Security System ID and PhilHealth among others.

Past administrations also wanted to establish a national ID system but did not succeed.