Voting 17-2, the Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading the bill that would establish a national identification system. 1738, or the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act of 2018, were Senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros. ADVERTISEMENTSen. Panfilo Lacson, sponsor of the Senate measure, hoped that the House would adopt the Senate measure so it would be an enrolled bill by next week, just awaiting the President’s signature. Lacson said the national ID system would help deter criminality and that its purpose had nothing to do with stopping security threats to the government. The country already has a unified multipurpose ID, which is issued to members of the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., and the Home Development Mutual Fund.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 19, 2018 23:04 UTC