This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 3, February 20-26, 2005
Arroyo Gov’t Pushing ID System Amid Snowballing
Opposition Interior and Local
Government Secretary Angelo Reyes proposed the establishment of a national ID
system in the wake of the so-called Valentine’s Day bombings in three major
cities: Makati, Davao, and General Santos.
The proposal to establish a national ID system comes at a time
when the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is facing a confluence of opposition
based on various issues.
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Malacañang is showing no signs of buckling
down to opposition to the proposed national identification (ID) system. The
opposition ranges from human rights organizations and other cause-oriented
groups to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s own allies in Congress. The national ID system is being resurrected
at a time when the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is facing challenges from
various quarters based on several policy issues. Interior and Local Government Secretary
Angelo Reyes proposed the establishment of a national ID system in the wake of
the so-called Valentine’s Day bombings in three major cities: Makati in Metro Manila and Davao,
and General Santos in southern Philippines. The bombings took place at the height of the
renewed conflict between government troops and the Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF) in Sulu, the Philippines’ southernmost province. Though MNLF leader Ustadz Habier Malik has
issued statements attributing the outbreak of the present fighting to the Feb. 1
massacre of a family in Maimbong, Sulu, the government projects the conflict as
a fight against the Abu Sayyaf which it alleges as having tied up with the MNLF.
Relatedly, Dr. Abdulrakman Amin, MNLF
liaison to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), has recently issued a
statement categorically denying any alleged MNLF links with the Abu Sayyaf, and
condemning to group for what he described as its “criminal” activities. According to Reyes, the national ID system
would help in fighting terrorism. “These terrorists, they thrive on
anonymity,” Reyes told a news conference Feb. 18 in Camp Crame, the Philippine
National Police (PNP) general headquarters. “With a national ID system, you
cannot claim to be somebody else because there will be one number for each
person.” Not new The idea of a national ID system is not new.
It was first proposed in 1996, when then President Fidel V. Ramos issued
Administrative Order No. 308 providing for the adoption of a National
Computerized Identification Reference System. The system was proposed supposedly
to facilitate government transactions. In 1997, then Sen. Blas Ople contested A0
308 before the Supreme Court (SC), saying it was unconstitutional. A year later, the SC upheld Ople’s
contention. “Given the record-keeping power of the computer, only the
indifferent will fail to perceive the danger that A.O. No. 308 gives the
government the power to compile a devastating dossier against unsuspecting
citizens,” read the SC decision. Presently pending in Congress is Senate Bill
No. 833, filed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, which
provides for the establishment of a national reference card
system that will supposedly facilitate government transactions. Lacson is a
former national police chief. Under the Lacson
bill, all citizens are assigned a reference number upon birth and issued a
National Reference Card free of charge at age 18. Lacson is much
detested by human rights groups for his record as a police officer under the
martial-law regime. The book Closer Than Brothers, by military historian
Alfred McCoy, lists Lacson as one of the leading torturers of activists ands
suspected rebels during the martial-law period. The other
proponents of a national ID system are Sens. Edgardo Angara, Alfredo Lim, and
Juan Ponce Enrile. Opponents Meanwhile, among
the most vocal opponents of a national ID system is Joel Maglunsod,
secretary-general of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU or May First Movement). “This measure
will be used to monitor citizens and groups opposing the Macapagal-Arroyo
administration’s anti-people policies,” Maglunsod said of the proposed measure
during a Feb. 21 protest action in front of the DILG office. “Wanton violation
of civil, political and human rights will take place if the ID system will be
approved.” The Macapagal-Arroyo
administration has been criticized for red-baiting against groups critical of
its policies and practices. Malacañang has, at various instances, tagged legal
cause-oriented groups – including the election watchdog Patriots – as “communist
fronts.” The Communist
Party of the Philippines (CPP), together with its armed component the New
People’s Army (NPA) and its founding chairman Jose Maria Sison, are included in
the U.S. Department of State’s list of “terrorist” organizations. The national ID
system has its opponents even among Macapagal-Arroyo’s allies.
Among the more
notable ones are Sens. Francis Pangilinan and Joker Arroyo. Pangilinan said
that the government could use the national ID system to harass civilians. He
also said that the 1998 SC decision on the 1997 petition filed by Ople had
rendered a national ID system unconstitutional. Arroyo, for his
part, fears that a national ID system would lead to a violation of civil
liberties. “Today more taxes, tomorrow less liberties, what next? That is what
happens when the president has an unthinking, unfeeling support staff,” Arroyo
was quoted Feb. 19 as saying by ABS-CBNNews.com. Timing The proposal to
establish a national ID system comes at a time when the Macapagal-Arroyo
administration is facing a confluence of opposition based on various issues. The results of a
recent survey by the socio-economic think tank IBON Foundation showed 74.11 of
the respondents opposed to an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 10
to 12 percent. Even such groups as the American Chamber of Commerce of the
Philippines (AmCham Philippines) have calculated that a VAT rate hike would
adversely affect the low-income sectors of the Philippine population.
The broad
opposition to a VAT rate increase showed its face during a protest action near
the Senate Feb. 16, in which Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic
Alliance), bangon Pilipinas (Philippines Arise) National Renewal Movement,
Sanlakas, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM or Worker’s Party), People’s Movement
Against Poverty (PMAP), People’s Congress for Authentic Democracy (PCAD), and
mainstream opposition politicians took part. Malacañang is
also facing snowballing broad protests against the reversal of the SC decision
declaring the Mining Act of the Philippines as unconstitutional, as well as
mounting calls for a peaceful resolution of the present Sulu conflict.
Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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