DOJ targets fake PWD IDs, erring issuers

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida on Thursday warned that people who fraudulently use persons with disability identification cards, as well as those who improperly issue them, could face criminal liability.

“Let's start living honestly,” Vida said during a Department of Justice briefing on 8 October.

Vida urged Filipinos who are not entitled to PWD benefits to stop using PWD IDs to obtain discounts, saying the practice cheats both taxpayers and businesses.

He said fraudulent discounts can reduce tax collections and establishment income. Citing a P1,200 restaurant bill as an example, Vida said an illegitimate PWD discount could mean around P50 less in taxes collected, although he stressed that the computation remains subject to Bureau of Internal Revenue validation.

Vida also warned local social welfare and development officers who knowingly issue PWD IDs to unqualified individuals that they could face liability under Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Doctors who issue falsified medical certificates to support fraudulent PWD claims could likewise face criminal charges, while people who knowingly use such documents may also be prosecuted.

Vida said the National Council on Disability Affairs is developing a more verifiable PWD identification system to make IDs easier to authenticate and curb abuse.

Under the planned system, IDs for people with permanent disabilities would remain valid for life, while those for non-apparent disabilities would carry a five-year validity period.

Vida also called on local officials to stop using PWD cards for political promotion, saying new IDs should no longer carry politicians’ signatures.

He described the approach as “anti-epal.”

The justice chief appealed to people holding fraudulent PWD IDs to voluntarily surrender or cancel them.

“The one you are fooling is yourself,” Vida said.