CEBU CITY, Philippines – A lawmaker here wanted all private and public offices that customers must provide only one valid identification card (ID) during transactions.
Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu’s 3rd district filed House Bill No. 10973 that mandates all offices to require no more than one valid ID from transacting customers.
The proposal listed a total of 19 forms of identification that all offices, whether in government or in the private sector, must recognize as valid proof of identity.
These range from passports to voter’s IDs.
In a statement, Garcia said his bill aims to complement Republic Act 11055 which established the Philippine Identification System and the PhilSys ID.
He said that the public should not be burdened to provide more than one valid ID during transactions, especially after the implementation of the PhilSys ID, or popularly known as the National ID, had been plagued with logistical challenges.
“Despite the pronouncement concerning the objective of PhilSys, certain government agencies and private entities still require multiple forms of identification, practically meaning that each ID, standing alone, is invalid,” he explained.
“This unduly burdens the public when such agencies can definitely ensure the integrity of their government-issued IDs and documents,” added Garcia.
People also may not have the time or resources to apply for another ID even if they possess another valid ID duly that can be accepted elsewhere, Garcia said.
Should the bill become a law, government agencies and private entities then may identify additional IDs as sufficient for transactions in their offices but will not be allowed to ask for more than one.
The bill also proposed that any person or office that refuses to accept any of the valid IDs listed might be penalized with a fine of P500,000.
Furthermore, it also added another provision punishing individuals caught using government IDs for fraudulent transactions or fake IDs themselves with imprisonment for six months to three years or fined P50,000 to P3 million or both. /clorenciana
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