Two areas in Laguna province are now slated to be included in the test run for the Unified Persons with Disabilities (PWD) ID System, scheduled for rollout in July.
In a recent media interview, National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) Executive Director Glenda Relova said the unified PWD ID system aims to eliminate the proliferation of fake IDs, promote inclusivity, and improve legitimate PWDs' access to benefits.
Among the chosen 35 sites for the test run of the unified ID system include Santa Rosa City and the municipality of Pila in Laguna.
“Ang layunin po ng Unified PWD System is para po tayo magkaroon ng iisang design lamang, iisa lang din po ang issuing authority para po once po na ang ating mga persons with disability ay dala-dala po itong ID na ito ay wala na pong question or hindi na kinakailangan i-verify pa kung hindi talagang ang ID mismo ang nagsasabi na sila ay totoo pong persons with disability,” she said.
With the current system, where each local government unit (LGU) has its own design of the PWD ID, establishments have a hard time identifying fake IDs, Relova explained.
She said the Unified PWD System will now have a single issuing authority and be equipped with safety features.
Relova said the Unified PWD ID comes in both a physical and digital form, which may be downloaded.
The physical ID, which also contains a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, would be delivered within three months.
This setup aims to prevent forgery, with materials and technology that are difficult to replicate.
The ID system is also integrated with the National ID and e-verifier systems, enhancing inter-agency authentication and data consistency.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) are part of the technical working group overseeing the implementation, along with DSWD, the Department of Health (DOH), and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The unified ID system came amid concerns from LGUs and establishments complaining about unscrupulous individuals using fake IDs to avail of 20-percent discounts in various goods and services.
Not only do the proliferation of fake PWD IDs rob legitimate PWDs of their right to exercise this privilege, they also cost the government millions in uncollected taxes.
Relova said that in 2023 alone, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) estimated a P88.2-billion loss in potential tax revenues due to fake PWD IDs.
The new system is designed to plug these leaks by ensuring only verified individuals can receive disability-related benefits and discounts.
She said there would be a central database that would be connected with the National ID and the e-verifier.
“So, kapag po ibinigay ng isang persons with disability ang ID na ito, malaki po iyong probability or almost 100 percent na talagang authentic sila. So, iyong dating tax leak na P88.2 billion po noong 2023 ay mai-eliminate na po natin dito," the NCDA executive director added.
(With report from PNA)
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