SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENATE 
S. B. No. 2738 
'15 
APR 27 P 3 :40 
Introduced by SENATOR FRANKLIN M, DRILON 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE FILIPINO IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 
Ingrained in our Constitution is the pursuit of the State to free the people from 
poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full 
employment, a rising standard of living and an improved quality of life for alL Over 
the years, the government has pursued such constitutional fiat through the delivery 
of benefits and services rooted on the principle of social justice. Unfortunately, 
bureaucratic red tape has stood as the perennial bottleneck to the full achievement of 
the enshrined policy. 
Drawing off the immense advances in information technology, this measure seeks to 
establish a unified system to accurately and swiftly identify individuals seeking basic 
services from the government. Such innovation endeavors to grant wider access to 
and ensure efficient delivery of public services by cutting red tape and preventing 
fraudulent transactions in government. 
, 
' 
As an immediate benefit of this measure's passage, unwarranted delays in 
government transactions will be averted as the Filipino ID card shall be the only 
proof of identity government agencies and institutions will require. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
F 


SIXTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Second Regular Session 
SENATE 
S. B. No. 2738 
'15 
APR 27 P 3 :40 
L> 
HE{'EIVE!) BY'97-
Introduced by SENATOR FRANKLIN M. DRILON 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE FILIPINO IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
1 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Filipino Identification System 
2 
Act." 
3 
S~CTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - 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 
5 
nation and free the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social 
6 
services, and improved quality life for all. To expediently and swiftly provide said social 
7 
services, there exists a need to establish a unified system to properly and efficiently identify 
8 
persons seeking such basic services in order to prevent fraudulent transactions and 
9 
misrepresentations, and to curb the perennial problem of red tape in the government 
10 
bureaucracy. 
11 
SECTION 3. The Filipino Identification System. -
The Filipino 
12 
Identification System herein referred to as the "identification system" or "System" is 
13 
hereby established and instituted as an economic and social tool towards the attainment of 
14 
progressive society through efficient services for all Filipinos. The identification system 
15 
shall provide official identification of all citizens of the Republic of the Philippines through 
16 
the issuance of the national identification number and Filipino Identification Card. It shall 
17 
gradually concert and consolidate all existing Government-initiated identification systems 
18 
into an integrated and efficient identification system. 
19 
SECTION 4. Components of the Filipino Identification System. -The 
20 
System shall be comprised of the following key elements: (a) Common Reference Number, 
1 


1 
which is a unique number assigned to the individual; (b) Filipino Identification Card, 
2 
which is the physical medium issued to the individual to convey essential information 
3 
about the person's identity; and (c) Filipino Citizen Registry, which is the collection of 
4 
records and information about individuals enrolled in the System. 
5 
SECTION 5. Common Reference Number. - The Common Reference Number 
6 
(CRN) shall serve as the national identification number of the person. It is a unique and 
7 
permanent number to be assigned to each Filipino by the Philippine Statistics Authority 
8 
(PSA). It shall be used as a standard number for the individual across all agencies of the 
9 
government. 
10 
The issuance of the CRN shall be done after checking for uniqueness of the person's 
11 
identity through his/her biometrics data. However, when biometrics data is not yet 
12 
applicable like in cases when the person is still a child, the generation of CRN shall be 
13 
based on the person's birth certificate maintained by the PSA. 
14 
The PSA shall establish a direct linkage between the CRN and the person's birth 
15 
record in the PSA's civil registry database. 
16 
SECTION 6. The Filipino Identification Card. - Every Filipino, whether 
17 
residing in the Philippines or abroad, is mandated to have a non-transferrable Filipino 
18 
Identification Card (Filipino ID card) bearing information on his/her identity. In 
19 
particular, the Filipino ID card shall contain the owner's imprinted photograph, full name, 
20 
present address, date and place of birth, sex, civil status, signature, CRN and date of card 
21 
issuance. 
22 
The Filipino ID card shall be made of tamper-proof security material. It shall also 
23 
have the capability to store the biometric data of the individual card owner. Likewise, the 
24 
card's physical characteristics shall also consider the card owner's possible use of the ID 
25 
card in conducting secure electronic transactions. 
26 
SECTION 7. The Filipino Citizen Registry. - The PSA as repository of all data 
27 
shall create and maintain a Filipino Citizen Registry that will contain the registered records 
28 
and information of persons issued with Filipino ID card. The PSA as the main issuing 
29 
authority of the official Filipino ID card shall institute the necessary measures to safeguard 
30 
the information provided in the Filipino ID card. No such information shall be released to 
2 


1 
any person, agency, office or instrumentality, government or otherwise, except in cases 
2 
stipulated in Section 11 of this Act. 
3 
The information in the Filipino Citizen Registry shall be categorized in a manner 
4 
that allows proper safeguards in data access, security and change management. 
5 
SECTION 
8. 
Registration 
and Enrollment into 
the 
Filipino 
6 
Identification System. - After the approval of this Act and upon full operation of the 
7 
System, every Filipino shall register and enroll into the System at the PSA-designated 
8 
Filipino ID Registration Center nearest the place of residence. Filipino ID Registration 
9 
Centers shall have the necessary facilities to capture both personal and biometrics data and 
10 
such Centers may include other government agencies with existing equipment, such as the 
11 
Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS). 
12 
Filipinos residing abroad shall register and be enrolled at the nearest Philippine Embassy 
13 
or Consular Office at the country of residence. 
14 
Every newborn Filipino shall be registered and enrolled into the System at the Local 
15 
Civil Registry Office at the place where the birth occurred or, in the case of Filipinos born 
16 
abroad, at the Philippine Embassy or Consular Office. Every Filipino reaching the age of 
17 
majority at eighteen (18) years and those reaching the senior age of sixty (60) shall renew 
18 
his/her Filipino ID card at a PSA-designated Filipino ID Registration Center nearest the 
19 
place of residence or, in the case of Filipinos residing abroad, at the nearest Philippine 
20 
Embassy or Consular Office at the country of residence. 
21 
In all foregoing cases, the CRN shall be issued upon registration while the Filipino 
22 
ID card shall be released within one hundred twenty (120) days from registration. 
23 
The initial application into the System and the issuance of the Filipino ID card shall 
24 
be free of charge as part of the government's social service responsibility. The renewal of 
25 
the Filipino ID card upon reaching eighteen (18) years of age and sixty (60) years of age 
26 
shall likewise be free of charge. A fee shall be paid by the card owner in all other instances 
27 
of card replacements that may be permitted under the following circumstances: 
28 
a) FO.r lost or destroyed ID cards; or 
29 
b) Changes in any of the material information previously supplied and currently 
30 
maintained in the System, as provided for in Section 9. 
3 


1 
The parents or the legal guardian of the minor, incompetent or disabled person shall 
2 
be responsible for the safekeeping ofthe Filipino ID card. 
3 
SECTION 9. Change in Material lriformation. - Any person who intends to 
4 
effect changes in the material information previously supplied and currently maintained in 
5 
the System shall have the duty to accordingly inform the Local Civil Registry Office, 
6 
Embassy, or Consular Office nearest the place of residence, or to any PSA-designated 
7 
reporting facility, of such changes within the period prescribed by the implementing 
8 
agency. These material changes are: 
9 
10 
11 
12 
a) 
b)-
c) 
Change in the name by virtue of court order or by application of law, 
such as a married woman adoptieg the surname of the husband; 
Change in the stated address and/or civil status; or 
Material changes in the facial features due to age or medical 
13 
intervention. 
14 
SECTION 10. Functional Uses of the Filipino ID Card. - The Filipino ID 
15 
card shall be presented and honored in transactions requiring the identity, status, birth, 
16 
and all other personal circumstances such as but not limited to the following: 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
a) 
b) 
c) 
d) 
e) 
f) 
g) 
All transactions with the government; 
Application for passport and driver's license; 
Filing applications for any services and benefits offered by the GSIS, 
SSS, Philippine Health Insurancf' Corporation (Philhealth) and Home 
Development Mutual Fund (HDMF); 
Proof of identity and age, for admission in all learning institutions as 
well as for employment purposes; 
Availment of benefits or privileges afforded by law to senior citizens; 
Proof of identity and age for transactions in banking and financial 
institutions; 
Application for clearances from the National Bureau of Investigation 
(NBI), courts, prosecutors and the police; 
4 


1 
h) 
Voting identification purposes; and 
2 
i) 
Such other purposes and uses which the PSA may prescribe. 
3 
When the Filipino ID card is presented to any government agency or for 
4 
identification purposes, no other additional identification card shall be required. 
5 
Ex.cept in instances allowed under the provisions of Republic Act No. 9225 or "The 
6 
Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003", the Filipino ID card shall motu 
7 
propio be rendered invalid and ineffective upon the loss of Filipino citizenship. Such status 
8 
of citizenship shall also be reflected in the corresponding record in the Registry. 
9 
SECTION 
11. 
Protection 
Against 
Unlawful 
Disclosure 
Of 
10 
Information/Records. - No person may publish, disseminate or give to third parties or 
11 
entities including government enforcement agencies any information provided by the data 
12 
owner to the System including the use thereof except in the following cases: 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
a) 
b) 
c) 
d) 
When the owner of the CRN or Filipino ID card expressly authorizes 
the disclosure of such information to a third person, entity or agency; 
In the event of accident, disaster or fortuitous events, when 
information on medical history ofthe holder such as the blood type or 
special medical needs or other relevant information are needed by 
medical and/ health workers; 
In the interest of public health or safety; and 
Upon order of any competent Court. 
21 
Any information obtained as a result of unlawful disclosure under this Act shall be 
22 
inadmissible as evidence in any criminal proceedings against the owner of the CRN or the 
23 
Filipino ID card. 
24 
The PSA, in pursuance of its mandated statistical function under Republic Act No. 
25 
10625 or "The Philippine Statistical Act of 2013", may generate and release aggregated 
26 
information from the Filipino Citizen Registry in the form of summaries and statistical 
27 
tables in which no reference to an individual shall appear and that no specific person can 
28 
be readily identified in the released information. 
5 


1 
The PSA may also use the list of CRNs to obtain administrative data being 
2 
maintained by other agencies for additional statistical compilation. Administrative data 
3 
granted to PSA through the CRNs shall not be made part of the Registry nor the System. 
4 
Such data, which shall also be covered by confidentiality provisions under RA 10625, shall 
5 
purely be for the purpose of generating statistical summaries without reference or 
6 
identification of any specific individual. 
7 
The PSA as repository and custodian of all data covered in the System shall institute 
8 
the necessary measures to safeguard the information gathered through the System. 
9 
SECTION 12. Roles and Functions of the Philippine Statistics Authority 
10 
and the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Philippine Embassies and 
11 
Consular Offices. - The PSA, as the implementing agency, shall be responsible for 
12 
overall planning, management and administration of the System. The Department of 
13 
Foreign Affairs (DFA), in coordination with the PSA, shall handle the registration and 
14 
enrolment into the System of Filipinos residing abroad and such responsibility also 
15 
includes the release of the CRN and/or Filipino ID cards. The PSA shall create an 
16 
additional organizational unit on Citizen ID Services to handle its new extra role under this 
17 
Act, subject to the review of the Department of Budget and Management. Likewise, the 
18 
DFA shall create a special unit for the purpose of handling its added responsibility. 
19 
The PSA is directed to draw up a program for the conduct of mobile registration in 
20 
collaboration with other government entities to ensure registration and enrollment of all 
21 
Filipinos into the System including the indigenous people and those in the remote 
22 
communities. 
23 
SECTION 13. Features involving the Private Sector and the Local 
24 
Government Units. - The PSA shall encourage the cooperation of the private s~ctor and 
25 
the local government units in granting additional benefits and privileges to the Filipino ID 
26 
cardholders. 
27 
SECTION 14. Penal Provisions. -
Any person who knowingly uses false 
28 
information in enrolling into the System or applying for the issuance of a Filipino ID card 
29 
or procures a card through fraud and who utilizes the card in an unlawful manner, shall be 
30 
punished with a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,OOO.00) but not more 
31 
than Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,OOO.oo) or an imprisonment of not less than 
32 
six (6) months but not more than two (2) years, or both at the discretion of court. 
6 


1 
Any person who shall willfully and unjustifiably refuse to accept, acknowledge or 
2 
recognize the Filipino ID card as the only official identification of the owner thereof shall 
3 
also be punished with the same penalties or imprisonment stated in the preceding 
4 
paragraph. 
5 
Any public official or employee who connives with the offender in committing the 
6 
acts mentioned in the last two (2) preceding pa;:agraphs or, on his own, causes the issuance 
7 
of a C~ or an authorized Filipino ID card or approves the application for the same, 
8 
despite the knowledge of the existence of fraud or false information, shall suffer the 
9 
corresponding penalties imposed in the last two (2) preceding paragraphs and shall suffer 
10 
the penalty of perpetual disqualification from government service. 
11 
The penalties imposed in this Section shall be in addition to those imposed on acts 
12 
punishable by existing penal and other laws including those acts of omission. 
13 
SECTION 15. Failure to Present Filipino ID Card. - Failure of any person to 
14 
present Filipino ID card when transacting business with the government or with private 
15 
entities requiring the use and presentation of the Filipino ID card shall not be ground to 
16 
deny or limit the basic government and private services as long as such transaction is 
17 
qualified under existing laws. 
18 
SECTION 16. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety (90) 
19 
days from effectivity of this Act, the PSA and DFA, in coordination with National Economic 
20 
and Development Authority, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department 
21 
of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Science and Technology, Commission 
22 
on Elections, GSIS, SSS, Philhealth, and the Bureau of Immigration, shall promulgate rules 
23 
and regulations and exchange existing technologies and best practices on the issuance of 
24 
identification cards to effectively implement the provisions of this Act. 
25 
SECTION 17. Funding. - The initial amount necessary for the implementation of 
26 
this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriation of the PSA and DFA as 
27 
the 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. 
29 
Revenues that may be generated from the issuance of the Filipino ID cards or related 
30 
services shall be allocated as part of the appropriations for the continued management and 
31 
operations of the System. 
7 


1 
SECTION 18. Separability Clause.- If any provision, section or part of this act 
2 
shall be q.eclared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, invalidate or 
3 
impair any other provisions, sections or parts hereof. 
4 
SECTION 19. 
Repealing Clause. -
All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
5 
regulations which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or 
6 
modified accordingly. 
7 
SECTION 20. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect within fifteen (15) days 
8 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
9 
Approved, 
10 
8