The new identification system law signed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte Monday will pass the test of constitutionality, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a press briefing in Malita, Davao Occidental on 6 August.

There is a privacy law to safeguard the database and the government will have the sole obligation to protect the data gathered in this new system, Roque said.

The previous National ID Bill was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court due to the lack of system to protect its database.

Roque mentioned three benefits of the national ID system.

“It will, number one, promote national security po because we will have a database of all Filipinos,” he said.

“Number two, this will prevent identity theft. You know that one of our biggest problems now is identity theft that happens especially on the internet,” Roque added.

“And number three, this will promote a better delivery of goods and services from the government to the people,” he said.