By GENALYN D. KABILING
At least P30 billion would be needed for the full implementation of the national identification system within three to five years, according to National Statistician Lisa Bersales.
Bersales, in a Palace press briefing, said although the national ID system was not mandatory, they hope to cover all Filipinos under the Philippine Identification System Act within the next few years.
“We only have an indicative budget. It’s just an estimate. It’s not yet that firm, but we expect that we’ll be spending P30 billion for the three to five years,” said Bersales, also chief of the Philippine Statistics Authority. “In three to five years… ma-register na lahat tayo na existing people,” she added.
Bersales said an initial P2-billion budget would be used for the first phase of the national ID system. She said P1.4 billion would be used for the procurement of the ICT system for the national ID while the rest will be the maintenance and operating cost such as the crafting of the communication plan and the consulting services.
She said they needed to tap third-party providers to ensure the system designed by PSA, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and other government agencies are “really appropriate using advance technology to ensure confidentiality and security of our database.”
