'0 
SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S. No. 
2859 
Introduced by Senator Ralph G. Recto 
AN ACT 
'15 JUL 20 P5 :53 
lu:n:ivEf> By:-i 
ESTABLISHING THE FILIPINO IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM, PROVIDING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Explanatory Note 
Bureaucratic red tape is the rope that strangles government operations. Red tape stifles 
business operations, restrains economic growth, and delays service delivery. Governments 
aspiring to dispense public services in the most judicious, transparent, effective and efficient way 
possible should not leave room for bureaucratic bottlenecks to take root. 
Despite the enactment of Republic Act No. 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, 
remnants of red tape still persist in government and business transactions in the country. The 
most flagrant of its kind can be gleaned from the sheer number of identification cards issued by 
various government agencies for analogous and divergent purposes. To illustrate the point, 
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has already identified twenty-one (21) types of government-issued 
identification cards that can be used for financial transactions 1. This proliferation of redundant 
government-issued identification cards not only causes unnecessary spending for the government 
and unwarranted burden and delays for the public; it also jeopardizes the security and privacy of 
the individual with regard to their personal infonnation. 
This bill seeks to institutionalize a unified Filipino Identification (ID) system to address 
such delays and wastage. Through the adoption of a single identification system to transact with 
any government or business entity in the country, individuals will not have to pay more or wait 
longer just to avail of public or private services. Additionally, government agencies will not have 
to undergo tedious bidding processes and spend millions of taxpayers' money to issue redundant 
identification cards to their clientele. 
Furthennore, it provides access to better services from institutions like private businesses, 
local government units (LGUs), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHILHEALTH) and 
the Infonnation and Communication Technology Office (lCTO). The bill allows LGUs and 
private business entities to incorporate benefits and privileges with the Filipino ID card. The bill 
also provides for additional features to be granted to all individuals enrolled in the Filipino 
Identification system, like the automatic enrolment in the PHILHEALTH program and increased 
internet connection speed for Free Public Wi-Fi subscribers. 
1 BSP Circular No. 564 5.2007 and Manual of Regulations for Non-Bank Financial Institutions, as amended by BSP 
Circular No. 792 5.2013. 
1 


A unified identification system, anned with all available technological advances of our 
time, can improve service delivery, reduce government and personal expenditures, mitigate 
security and privacy risks, and improve overall government policy fonnulation and program 
development while impeding efforts to undennine the system through fraud and other criminal 
acts. 
To faithfully comply with the state policy of ensuring the prosperity and independence of 
the nation and freedom of the people from poverty, public and private service transactions should 
be simplified, fraudulent transactions and misrepresentation averted, and bureaucratic red tape 
should be curtailed. 
Towards this end, the swift passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
Imdg 
2 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Third Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S.No. 
2859 
Introduced by Senator Ralph G. Recto 
AN ACT 
S .. eIl21tr 
to(ft;r {If Hl",,~rTl't-t:u'~ 
·15 Jll 20 P5:53 
RECEIVEU BY:_Y 
ESTABLISHING THE FILIPINO IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM, PROVIDING FUNDS 
THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
1 
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Filipino Identification 
2 
System Act of2015." 
3 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy and Objectives. - It is the policy of the State to promote a 
4 
just and dynamic social order that shall ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and 
5 
free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, and 
6 
improved quality life for all.' Towards this end, a unified identification system shall be 
7 
established to simplify public and private services transactions, to avert fraudulent transactions 
8 
and misrepresentations, and to curtail the perennial problem of bureaucratic red tape in 
9 
Philippine government agencies. 
10 
SEC. 3. The Filipino Identification System. - The Filipino Identification System herein 
11 
referred to as the "Filipino ID System" is hereby established and instituted as an economic and 
12 
social tool towards the attainment of a progressive society through efficient services for all 
13 
Filipinos. The identification system shall provide official identification of all citizens of the 
14 
Republic of the Philippines through the issuance of the national identification number and 
15 
Filipino Identification Card. It shall gradually concert and consolidate all existing Government-
16 
initiated identification systems into an integrated and efficient identification system. 
17 
SEC. 4. Filipino Identification System Components. - The Filipino ID System shall be 
18 
comprised of the following key elements: (a) Common Reference Number (CRN), which is a 
19 
unique number assigned to the individual; (b) Filipino Identification Card, which is the physical 
20 
medium issued to the individual to convey essential information about the person's identity; and 
21 
(c) Filipino Citizen Registry, which is the collection of records and information about individuals 
22 
enrolled in the Filipino ID System. 
23 
SEC. 5. Common Reference Number. - The CRN shall serve as the national identification 
24 
number of the person. It is a unique and permanent number to be assigned to each Filipino by the 


1 
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). It shall be used as a standard number for the individual 
2 
across all agencies of the government. 
3 
The issuance of the CRN shall be done after checking for uniqueness of the person's 
4 
identity through the person's biometrics data. However, when biometrics data is not yet 
5 
applicable like in cases when the person is still a child, the generation of CRN shall be based on 
6 
the person's birth certificate maintained by the PSA. 
7 
The PSA shall establish a direct linkage between the CRN and the person's birth record in 
8 
the PSA's civil registry database. 
9 
SEC. 6. The Filipino Identification Card. - Every Filipino, whether residing in the 
10 
Philippines or abroad, is mandated to secure a non-transferrable Filipino Identification Card 
11 
(Filipino ID card) bearing information on the owner's identity. In particular, the Filipino ID card 
12 
shall contain the owner's imprinted photograph, full name, present address, date and place of 
13 
birth, sex, civil status, signature, CRN and date of card issuance. 
14 
The Filipino ID card shall be made of tamper-proof security material. It shall also have 
15 
the capability to store the biometrics data of the individual card owner. Likewise, the card's 
16 
physical characteristics shall also consider the card owner's possible use of the ID card in 
17 
conducting secure electronic transactions. 
18 
SEC. 7. The Filipino Citizen Registry. - The PSA as repository of all data shall create 
19 
and maintain a Filipino Citizen Registry that will contain the registered records and information 
20 
of persons issued with a Filipino ID card. The PSA as the main issuing authority of the official 
21 
Filipino ID card shall institute the necessary measures to safeguard the information provided in 
22 
the Filipino ID card. No such information shall be released to any person, agency, office or 
23 
instrumentality, government or otherwise, except in cases stipulated in Section 11 of this Act. 
24 
The information in the Filipino Citizen Registry shall be categorized in a manner that 
25 
allows proper safeguards in data access, security and change management. 
26 
SEC. 8. Registration and Enrollment into the Filipino Identification System. - After the 
27 
approval of this Act and upon full operation of the Filipino ID System, every Filipino shall 
28 
register and enroll into the Filipino ID System at the PSA-designated Filipino ID Registration 
29 
Center nearest the place of residence. Filipino ID Registration Centers shall have the necessary 
30 
facilities to capture both personal and biometrics data and such Centers may include other 
31 
government agencies with existing equipment, such as the Government Service Insurance 
32 
System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS). Filipinos residing abroad shall register and 
33 
be enrolled at the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consular Office at the country of residence. 
34 
Every newborn Filipino shall be registered and enrolled into the Filipino ID System at the 
35 
Local Civil Registry Office at the place where the birth occurred or, in the case of Filipinos born 
36 
abroad, at the Philippine Embassy or Consular Office. Every Filipino reaching the age of 
37 
majority at eighteen (18) years and those reaching the age of sixty (60) shall renew the Filipino 
38 
ID card at a PSA-designated Filipino ID Registration Center nearest the place of residence or, in 
2 


1 
the case of Filipinos residing abroad, at the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consular Office at the 
2 
country of residence. 
3 
In all foregoing cases, the CRN shall be issued upon registration while the Filipino ID 
4 
card shall be released within one hundred twenty (120) days from registration. 
5 
The initial application into the Filipino ID System and the issuance of the Filipino ID 
6 
card shall be free of charge as part of the government's social service responsibility. The renewal 
7 
of the Filipino ID card upon reaching eighteen (18) years of age and sixty (60) years of age shall 
8 
likewise be free of charge. A fee shall be paid by the card owner in all other instances of card 
9 
replacements that may be permitted under the following circumstances: 
10 
(a) For lost or destroyed ID cards; or 
11 
(b) Changes in any of the material information previously supplied and currently 
12 
maintained in the Filipino ID System, as provided for in Section 9. 
13 
The parents or the legal guardian of the minor, incompetent or disabled person shall be 
14 
responsible for the safekeeping of the Filipino ID card. 
15 
SEC. 9. Change in Material Information. - Any person who intends to effect changes in 
16 
the material information previously supplied and currently maintained in the Filipino ID System 
17 
shall have the duty to inform the Local Civil Registry Office, Embassy, or Consular Office 
18 
nearest the place of residence, or to any PSA-designated reporting facility, of such changes 
19 
within the period prescribed by the implementing agency. These material changes include: 
20 
(a) Change in the name by virtue of court order or by application of law, such as a 
21 
married woman adopting the surname of the husband; 
22 
(b) Change in the stated address and/or civil status; 
23 
(c) Material changes in the facial features due to age or medical intervention; or 
24 
(d) Other revisions that may be deemed necessary by the cardholder or the PSA. 
25 
SEC. 10. Functional Uses of the Filipino ID Card. - The Filipino ID card shall be 
26 
presented and honored in transactions requiring the identity, status, birth, and all other personal 
27 
circumstances such as but not limited to the following: 
28 
(a) All transactions with all government agencies, instrumentalities, local government 
29 
units (LGUs), and government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs); 
30 
(b) Proof of identity and age, for admission in all learning institutions as well as for 
31 
employment purposes; 
32 
(c) Availment of benefits or privileges afforded by law to senior citizens; 
33 
(d) Proof of identity and age for transactions in banking and financial institutions; and 
34 
( e) Such other purposes and uses which the PSA may prescribe. 
35 
When the Filipino ID card is presented to any government agency or for identification 
36 
purposes, no other additional identification card shall be required. 
37 
Except in instances allowed under the provisions of Republic Act No. 9225 or "The 
38 
Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003," the Filipino ID card shall motu propio be 
3 


1 
rendered invalid and ineffective upon the loss of Filipino citizenship. Such status of citizenship 
2 
shall also be reflected in the corresponding record in the Registry. 
3 
SEC. 11. Protection Against Unlawful Disclosure of Information/Records. - No person 
4 
may publish, disseminate or give to third parties or entities including govermnent enforcement 
5 
agencies any information provided by the data owner to the Filipino ID System including the use 
6 
thereof except in the following cases: 
7 
(a) When the owner of the CRN or Filipino ID card expressly authorizes the disclosure of 
8 
such information to a third person, entity or agency; 
9 
(b) In the event of accident, disaster or fortuitous events, when information on medical 
10 
history of the holder such as the blood type or special medical needs or other relevant 
11 
information are needed by medical and/or health workers; 
12 
(c) In the interest of public health or safety; and 
13 
(d) Upon order of any competent Court. 
14 
Any information obtained as a result of unlawful disclosure under this Act shall be 
15 
inadmissible as evidence in any criminal proceedings against the owner of the CRN or the 
16 
Filipino ID card. 
17 
The PSA, in pursuance of its mandated statistical function under Republic Act No.1 0625 
18 
or "The Philippine Statistical Act of 2013," may generate and release aggregated information 
19 
from the Filipino Citizen Registry in the form of summaries and statistical tables in which no 
20 
reference to an individual shall appear and that no specific person can be readily identified in the 
21 
released information. 
22 
The PSA may also use the list ofCRNs to obtain administrative data being maintained by 
23 
other agencies for additional statistical compilation. Administrative data granted to PSA through 
24 
the CRNs shall not be made part of the Registry nor the Filipino ID System. Such data, which 
25 
shall also be covered by confidentiality provisions under Republic Act No. 10625, shall purely 
26 
be for the purpose of generating statistical summaries without reference or identification of any 
27 
specific individual. 
28 
The PSA as repository and custodian of all data covered in the Filipino ID System shall 
29 
institute the necessary measures to safeguard the information gathered through the Filipino ID 
30 
system. 
31 
SEC. 12. Roles and Functions of the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department 
32 
of Foreign Affairs through the Philippine Embassies and Consular Offices. - The PSA, as the 
33 
implementing agency, shall be responsible for the overall pi arming, management and 
34 
administration of the Filipino ID System. The Department of Foreigu Affairs (DFA), in 
35 
coordination with the PSA, shall handle the registration and enrolment into the System of 
36 
Filipinos residing abroad and such responsibility also includes the release of the CRN and/or 
37 
Filipino ID cards. The PSA shall create an additional organizational unit on Citizen ID Services 
38 
to handle its additional role under this Act, subject to the review of the Department of Budget 
4 


1 
and Management. Likewise, the DFA shall create a special unit for the purpose of handling its 
2 
added responsibility. 
3 
The PSA is directed to draw up a program for the conduct of mobile registration in 
4 
collaboration with other government entities to ensure registration and enrollment of all Filipinos 
5 
into the Filipino ID System including the indigenous people and those in the remote 
6 
communities. 
7 
SEC. 13. Features Involving the Private Sector and the Local Government Units. - The 
8 
PSA shall encourage the cooperation of the private sector and the local government units in 
9 
granting additional benefits and privileges to the Filipino ID cardholders. 
10 
SEC. 14. Feature Involving Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. - The Philippine 
11 
Health Insurance Corporation (PHILHEALTH) shall enroll non-member Filipino ID cardholders 
12 
into the National Health Insurance Program in accordance with pertinent laws and regulations. 
13 
SEC. 15. Feature Involving Information and Communication Technology Office 
14 
Department of Science and Technology. - The PSA and the Information and Communication 
15 
Technology Office (lCTO), shall grant increased internet connection speed and other information 
16 
and communication Technology (lCT) benefits and privileges to the Filipino ID cardholders 
17 
under the National Connectivity and Broadband Development Plan, Free Public Wi-Fi 
18 
Connectivity in Public Places or any similar plan or program of the Department of Science and 
19 
Technology. 
20 
SEC. 16. Failure to Present a Filipino ID Card. - The failure of any person to present a 
21 
Filipino ID card when transacting business with the government or with private entities requiring 
22 
the use and presentation of the Filipino ID card shall not be used as grounds to deny or limit the 
23 
basic government and private services so long as such transaction is qualified under existing 
24 
laws. 
25 
SEC. 17. Funding. - The initial amount necessary for the implementation of this Act 
26 
shall be charged against the current fiscal year's appropriation of the PSA and DFA as the 
27 
implementing agencies. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued 
28 
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. Revenues 
29 
that may be generated from the issuance of the Filipino ID cards or related services shall be 
30 
allocated as part of the appropriations for the continued management and operations of the 
31 
Filipino ID System. 
32 
Funding requirements to provide increased internet connection speed and other ICT 
33 
benefits shall be charged against the current fiscal year's appropriation ofthe ICTO, and shall be 
34 
included in the agency's annual general appropriation thereafter. 
35 
Funding requirements to ensure enrollment of non-member Filipino ID cardholders to the 
36 
National Health Insurance Program shall be sourced from the National Health Insurance Fund of 
37 
PHILHEALTH. 
5 


1 
SEC. 18. Penal Provisions. - Any person who knowingly uses false infonnation in 
2 
enrolling into the System or applying for the issuance of a Filipino ID card or procures a card 
3 
through fraud and who utilizes the card in an unlawful manner, shall be punished with a fine of 
4 
not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) but not more than Five Hundred Thousand 
5 
Pesos (P500,000.00) or an imprisomnent of not less than six (6) months but not more than two 
6 
(2) years, or both at the discretion of court. 
7 
Any person who shall willfully and unjustifiably refuse to accept, acknowledge or 
8 
recognize the Filipino ID card as the only official identification of the owner thereof shall also be 
9 
punished with the same penalties or imprisomnent stated in the preceding paragraph. 
10 
Any public official or employee who connives with the offender in committing the acts 
11 
mentioned in the last two (2) preceding paragraphs or, on his own, causes the issuance of a CRN 
12 
or an authorized Filipino ID card or approves the application for the same, despite the knowledge 
13 
of the existence of fraud or false infonnation, shall suffer the corresponding penalties imposed in 
14 
the last two (2) preceding paragraphs and shall suffer the penalty of perpetual disqualification 
15 
from govermnent service. 
16 
The penalties imposed in this Section shall be in addition to those imposed on acts 
17 
punishable by existing penal and other laws including those acts of omission. 
18 
SEC. 19. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -
Within ninety (90) days from 
19 
effectivity of this. Act, the PSA and DFA, in coordination with National Economic and 
20 
Development Authority, Department of Interior and Local Govermnent, Department of Justice, 
21 
Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Science and Technology, ICTO, 
22 
Cormnission on Elections, GSIS, SSS, PHILHEALTH, and other relevant govermnent agencies 
23 
shall promulgate rules and regulations and exchange existing technologies and best practices on 
24 
the issuance of identification cards to effectively implement the provisions of this Act. 
25 
SEC. 20. Separability Clause. - If any provision, section or part of this act shall be 
26 
declared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, invalidate or impair any 
27 
other provisions, sections or parts hereof. 
28 
SEC. 21. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations which are 
29 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
30 
SEC. 22. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its 
31 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation or the Official Gazette. 
32 
Approved, 
6