Executive Order 420
Gloria's National ID system is a step towards martial rule

Migrant workers and their families under the aegis of the MIGRANTE Sectoral Party join the growing opposition to the Macapagal-Arroyo government's frenzied drive for a centralized ID system with the recent exposure of Executive Order 420.

We call on Malacanang to immediately rescind Executive Order 420 as this will never translate into better government services and actions to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), their families and the common people. The proposed National ID system will not address the issue of violence in the country. It will not put a stop the the killings of journalists and activists.

We will never accede to a system that will initially result into the invasion of anyone's privacy, progress into the wiretapping of personal communication facilities, surveillance, illegal arrests and other violations of human rights.

We oppose the National Identification System being pushed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Angelo Reyes, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and other militarists in government.

Along with other 'anti-terror' bills in Congress, Pres. Arroyo's EO 420 aims to railroad an ID system that aims to get each person's vital information for the benefit of terrorists in government. When we say terrorists (read: militarists) in government, we mean those who have short tempers and those do not want critics of their anti-people policies.

While Palace officials have said that "all data stored in the system would be considered as confidential and only the person with the ID or his duly authorized representative would be allowed to access information, we ask: who will be guarding those in government with access to the ID system's database against any abuse? Who will stand to benefit from the gathering of all the personal and private information of all persons?

We should not allow this administration to bring us back into the worst days of martial rule. #