Sen. Win Gatchalian, during Thursday’s hybrid hearing of the Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs June 22, 2023 on several concerns of indigenous peoples (IPs), inquires about the registration of IPs to the national ID system, considering many of them are in the mountains or have no knowledge about the program of the government.
Gatchalian stressed that the national ID, even though it is not mandatory, is essential because the vision of the program is one single ID for all transactions, including financial assistance from the government. “How do you register our IP members to the national ID… if they will not get their national ID, they will fall off the grid. And they might not receive essential services,” Gatchalian asked.
The senator was informed that the problem of registration of IPs has been addressed several years ago but the IPs themselves did not see the importance of registering themselves. Another problem is that most IPs have no birth certificates.(Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
The Bench Files 
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