MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte had his biometrics and personal data captured for his national identification the other day in a bid to support the program and water down controversy surrounding its supply contract.
Photos released by Malacañang yesterday showed the President flashing his freshly minted Philippine ID Card, shortly after Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) personnel processed his registration for the National ID System program.
This comes on the heels of graft complaints filed against seven Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) officials before the Office of the Ombudsman over the P1.75-billion supply and equipment contract to produce 116 million Phil ID cards.
Last Thursday, Malacañang expressed confidence that BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno – one of the respondents in the complaint – would be able to answer the graft raps filed by Ricardo Fulgencio IV, a self-styled anti-corruption crusader.
“We stand by the integrity of Governor Diokno and we know that anybody has the right to file charges but we are confident that Gov. Diokno will be able to clarify these issues,” said presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr.
Fulgencio, who heads the group Stop Corruption Organization of the Philippines Inc. (SCOPI), alleged in his 10-page complaint that BSP officials circumvented the government procurement law in awarding the contract to AllCard International.
Apart from Diokno, other respondents in the complaint were BSP Security Plant Complex bids and awards committee chair Prudence Angelita Kasala, BSP director Rogel Joseph del Rosario, BSP-SPC acting production manager Carl Cesar Bibat, BSP-SPC BAC vice-chair Marianne Santos and BAC members Salvador del Mundo and Giovanni Israel Joson.
Roque said the complaint will not prevent the government from pursuing the national ID program.
Duterte signed in August 2018 Republic Act 11055, the Philippine Identification System Act, which aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.