UN exec cites gains of nat'l ID system to poor families

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar, Aug. 16 -- An official of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said the Philippine government’s national ID system would greatly benefit poor families.

Speaking during Wednesday’s Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development Conference hosted by the Samar State University (SSU) here, UNDP Senior Economist Adviser Andrew Parker said the absence of identification cards has deprived many poor families of government’s assistance.

“If you are a poor person and if you want to claim benefits, you have to have different ID cards for different programs when you go to government agencies. Losing one card means losing access as result to it,” Parker said.

He added that giving poor people the chance to access government services is aligned with the objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The SDGs include important principles in trying to ensure that no one is left behind. So this is what we were saying that poverty is declining, but we are seeing an increase in inequality,” Parker said.

Parker added that it will take time before people can feel the positive impact of the national ID program.

An estimated 16.3 million out of more than 100 million Filipinos are expected to benefit from the national ID system.

These are people who do not have proof of identity, said the UNDP official.

President Rodrigo Duterte on August 6 signed into law the Philippine Identification System Act that seeks to integrate the various government IDs of all citizens and foreign residents in the country.

Parker pointed out that aside from the national ID System, good internet access would also help reduce poverty.

Small businesses, such as those located in Samar province, would be able to link with potential buyers using the digital platform.

“If you don’t have that internet access, it’s very hard to take advantage of all those opportunities that is out there. Once you are connected to the Internet, you can already sell your product to the global market place. This offers a whole new range of opportunity that can leap the development and growth process,” Parker said.

The Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development Conference is a three-day conference held at the Samar State University on August 14-16 that gathered officials from the academe and local government executives in neighboring Asian countries showcasing the best poverty alleviation practices.

“We can also benchmark from other practices of mayors and governors from other countries. There is no fast rule in addressing poverty. That is why we need to study it in depth,” SSU President Marilyn Cardoso said.

Cardoso added that hosting the conference is a social responsibility of their institution to help address the decades-long problem of poverty in the province. (RTA/PNA)