Unified PWD ID in works

The House of Representatives announced Friday it will craft a law providing stricter protocols and hefty penalties for fraudsters in an effort to stop the rampant proliferation of fake identification cards for persons with disability (PWDs).

Speaker Martin Romualdez said that although Congress is on break for the election campaign season, the House is preparing parallel legislation to the planned unified PWD ID scheduled to be rolled out by the end of the year by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“A fake PWD ID is not simple fraud — it is theft from the genuinely disabled and the law-abiding businesses. It has to be stopped,” Romualdez said.

“We will make sure in Congress that there is a strong law that everyone will follow, especially those who manipulate this system,” he added.

The House and the Senate are currently on a nearly four-month recess for the election campaign.

By the time Congress reconvenes on 2 June, after the midterm elections, lawmakers would have only six session days to pass the proposed law before a new Congress takes over.

Under the proposed Republic Act 7277, violators may be fined up to P100,000 or may be jailed for up to two years. They can serve both at the discretion of the court.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is set to launch a nationwide crackdown on the fraudulent use of PWD IDs, including their unlawful sale.

The government has incurred more than P88 billion in revenue losses from the fraudulent use of PWD IDs, the BIR said.