The Philippine Identification System Act, also known as the PhilSys Law[1] and officially designated as Republic Act No. 11055, is a Philippine law that provides for the basis of for the Philippine government's national identity document system known as the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).
| Philippine Identification System Act | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Congress of the Philippines | |
| |
| Citation | Republic Act No. 11055 |
| Territorial extent |  Philippines |
| Passed by | House of Representatives of the Philippines |
| Passed | September 8, 2017 |
| Passed by | Senate of the Philippines |
| Passed | March 19, 2018 |
| Signed by | President Rodrigo Duterte |
| Signed | August 6, 2018 |
| Legislative history | |
| First chamber: House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
| Bill title | An Act Establishing the Filipino Identification System |
| Bill citation | House Bill No. 6221 |
| Introduced by | Congressman Feliciano Belmonte Jr. et al. |
| Introduced | August 17, 2017 |
| First reading | August 22, 2017 |
| Second reading | August 30, 2017 |
| Third reading | September 8, 2017 |
| Committee report | Committee Report No. 360 |
| Second chamber: Senate of the Philippines | |
| Bill title | An Act Establishing the Philippine Identification System |
| Bill citation | Senate Bill No. 1738 |
| Received from the House of Representatives of the Philippines | March 12, 2018 |
| Member(s) in charge | Senator Franklin Drilon, Panfilo Lacson et al. |
| First reading | March 12, 2018 |
| Second reading | March 14, 2018 |
| Third reading | March 19, 2018 |
| Committee report | Committee Report No. 277 |
| Conference committee bill passed by House of Representatives of the Philippines | May 30, 2018 |
| Conference committee bill passed by Senate of the Philippines | May 29, 2018 |
| Status: In force | |
Legislative history
edit
House Bill No. 6221
editHouse Bill No. 6221 was filed before the House of Representatives proposing the establishment of the Filipino Identification System or FilSys requiring Filipino citizens of at least 18 years old to obtain a FilSys ID. The information gathered for the proposed system will be restricted from law enforcement agencies except under certain circumstances. In the bill's third and final reading, 142 members of the lower legislature voted for the bill in the final reading while seven voted against.[2]
Senate Bill No. 1738
editSenator Panfilo Lacson authored and sponsored Senate Bill No. 1738,[3] or the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act of 2018 which mandates a national identification system with compulsory registration.[4] The PhilSys is meant to provide Filipino citizens and foreign residents in the Philippines a single and unified proof of identity to ease public and private transactions and deter criminality. The document from the national identification system will be called as the PhilSys ID which will bear a permanent identification number called the PhilSys number (PSN). The ID will contain the full name, facial image, birth date, address, and fingerprints of the bearer. However, possession of the ID card itself will not be compulsory. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will be the registry of the national identification system.[5] Similar to the House of Representatives bill, the data from the national identification system will only be made available to third parties under certain circumstances.[3]
The third and final reading of the bill was held on March 19, 2018, with Senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros voting against the measure.[3]
Bicameral Conference Committee
editThe Bicameral Conference Committee has approved Lacson's bill with minor revisions in May 2018.[4] The consolidated version was ratified by Senate on May 29 and the House of Representatives on the following day.[6] The bill could then be signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte.[7]
Republic Act No. 11055
editOn August 6, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the "Philippine Identification System Act" (R.A. 11055).[8] Section 9 of the Act requires every Philippine citizen and resident alien to personally register with the Philippine ID system.[9]
Implementation
editThe Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) national identity card program was launched on August 24, 2018, although the implementing rules and regulations were approved on October 5, 2018, by the PhilSys Policy and Coordination Council.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ Quiros, Judy (May 15, 2021). "PSA explains importance of PSN, PCN, PhilID". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ Ilas, Joyce (September 8, 2017). "House approves national ID bill on final reading". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c Elemia, Camille (March 19, 2018). "Filipinos to have national IDs soon after Senate, House pass bill". Rappler. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ a b "Senate, House panels approve nat'l ID system bill". CNN Philippines. May 24, 2018. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ Cabico, Katreena (May 29, 2018). "What you need to know about the proposed national ID". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ Colcol, Erwin (May 30, 2018). "House ratifies bicam version of national ID bill". GMA News. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Lopez, Virgil (May 25, 2018). "Palace: Duterte ready to sign national ID bill into law". GMA News. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ Lopez, Virgil (August 6, 2018). "Duterte signs national ID system law". GMA News. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Republic Act No. 11055 (July 24, 2017), Philippine Identification System Act (PDF), Official Gazette, retrieved June 22, 2024
- ^ "Council okays Nat'l ID IRR". Daily Tribune. October 6, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ Esguerra, Darryl John (October 29, 2018). "IRR for national ID system finalized — PSA". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 29, 2021.