House Speaker Martin Romualdez threw his full support behind the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s plan to establish a unified person with disability ID system.
He also urged the government to fast-track its implementation to end fraud, restore public trust, and ensure that rightful beneficiaries receive their privileges without undue burden.
Romualdez emphasized that a unified PWD ID system must be secure, efficient, and tamper-proof to stop the widespread misuse of fake IDs, which has eroded confidence in the program and unfairly burdened legitimate PWDs.
He lamented that rampant misuse of fraudulent PWD IDs has sparked tensions between businesses and legitimate PWDs, with many establishments forced to bear financial losses due to bogus claims.
On the other hand, legitimate PWDs are unfairly scrutinized and forced to justify their disabilities every time they try to avail of benefits they are entitled to.
Romualdez, in a press release from his office Feb. 14, hailed the DSWD’s initiative to introduce a unified ID system with enhanced security features, such as RFID technology, as a long-overdue reform that must be implemented without unnecessary bureaucratic delays.
He pushed for additional security measures, such as QR codes and tamper-proof verification features, which have been successfully adopted by some local government units to curb counterfeiting, so as to guarantee the integrity of the PWD ID system.
He also called for tougher penalties against individuals and syndicates involved in the production and use of fraudulent PWD IDs.
The House of Representatives is preparing parallel legislation to ensure the nationwide standardization of PWD ID issuance, stricter validation protocols, and increased penalties for fraudsters, the Speaker said.
Romualdez emphasized that stopping PWD ID fraud requires a whole-of-society approach, and urged businesses, local officials, and ordinary citizens to take an active role in verifying IDs and reporting abuses.
He also called on the Filipino people to uphold integrity and reject the temptation to exploit government programs for personal gain.
He called on all agencies involved to fast-track the implementation of the new system and put an end to years of abuse and inefficiency. ||
