AFP’s recommendation sprung from Executive Order (EO) 420, signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2005. Under EO 420, government agencies and government-owned- and-controlled corporations (GOCCs) are tasked to consolidate an individual’s personal information – basic records such as name, address, and sex, as well as fingerprints, prominent distinguishing features and Tax Identification Number – into one ID.

The NIS, on the other hand, is broader in scope, as it also seeks to monitor transactions and criminal records.

Both proposals, however, were met with opposition from militant organizations. In a statement, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) declared that the government’s proposed ID scheme is Arroyo’s “latest concoction to threaten civil liberties and keep the population subservient.”

Relentless pursuit
Proposals for a nationwide ID system is not new. From 1982 to 1995, four bills were passed proposing a national ID scheme aimed at monitoring criminal activity and preventing election fraud. However, Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo says that “fears of a militaristic state” prevented the bills from making it past the first reading.

Nonetheless, the pursuit for a national ID policy persisted. In 1996, former President Fidel Ramos signed Administrative Order (AO) 308, which took effect immediately after approval (see sidebar). Following the complaints of key individuals, however, the Supreme Court (SC) declared AO 308 unconstitutional because it would “put our people's right to privacy in clear and present danger.”

In 2005, the military employed a crude identification system in Central Luzon in order to “saturate” the area. Former Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan led the implementation, requiring residents to secure individual cedulas or community tax certificates to prove that they were not members of rebel groups. The cedula system was clearly used as part of a larger government scheme: counterinsurgency.

Ultimately, the cedula system served to identify the residents from the “terrorists.” Human rights watchdog Karapatan pointed that residents who failed to present their cedulas were considered “terrorists,” consequently becoming victims of torture, extrajudicial killings or enforced disappearance. Following Palparan’s stint, the number of human rights violations in Central Luzon peaked with 120 killed and 80 disappeared, earning him the label “butcher.”

For security purposes
Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States compelled allied nations to implement an identification system in order to curtail the movements of “terrorist” groups. In the Philippines, the call spurred the approval of EO 420, which was said to “provide greater convenience for those transacting business with the government.”

Kilusang Mayo Uno, an alliance of militant labor and worker organizations, filed a petition, asserting that EO 420 would legalize the “usurpation of legislative power” and the “infringement on the citizen’s right to privacy.”

Unlike AO 308, however, the SC declared it constitutional, pointing that EO 420 does not require information beyond what is commonly involved in government functions. Furthermore, EO 420 covers only the transactions made in government agencies and GOCCs.

Bolstered by the SC’s approval of EO 420, the police and military were quick to propose a nationwide ID scheme. Philippine National Police Chief Avelino Razon explained that the NIS should be adopted so that “insurgents, terrorists, criminal elements could not hide behind the cloak of anonymity.” Likewise, AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon says that the scheme would help security forces in the campaign against terrorist threats.

Ominous set-up
However, if EO 420 is to be used as a crime-fighting tool, as both Razon and Esperon suggest, “the public will be confronted by ID checks conducted by the police and military, giving them ground to arrest those who cannot produce an ID,” declares Ocampo. In such a set-up, those who cannot present their IDs will immediately be suspected as a terrorist or an illegal immigrant. Consequently, the NIS shall function like an internal passport scheme, monitoring the transaction trails and affiliations of any Filipino at any given time.

Further, Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes states that the only way the NIS can work as a tool against “terrorism” is if it is connected to a national database containing a wide range of information about citizens which state authorities can access with or without the consent of the individual. Evidently, this type of scheme constitutes an infringement on a person’s right to privacy.

Thus, militant groups continue to assert that behind the police’s and military’s justifications are insidious objectives. Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casiño states that the failure of the government to suppress the growing hostilities is the reason why it was determined to “revive proposals for a national identification system.” The real aim of the NIS then is to monitor and facilitate the surveillance of legal and militant organizations’ leaders, who are vilified by the government as “terrorists.”
Further, Casiño claims that the state considers “terrorists” as a broad range of people including its “critics, members of the political opposition, progressive parties and groups engaged in armed rebellion.” Subsequently, in an AFP powerpoint presentation entitled “Knowing Thy Enemy,” “enemies of the state” included cause-oriented groups such as the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and League of Filipino Students.
Such move illustrates the government’s repressive tendency, where any opposition is met with outright aggression. Under this condition, approving the NIS “would be like nationalizing the dreaded cedula campaign of…Palparan,” Reyes concludes.

Perfect fit
Casiño noted that the NIS and the Human Security Act (HSA) is the administration’ s “tandem” mechanisms to keep the nation submissive. According to Bayan, the provisions of HSA provide the “legal teeth” long sought by the military in committing with impunity acts of “state terrorism.” The NIS will therefore serve as the nationwide surveillance component of the HSA.

In addition, militant groups trace the counterinsurgency measures from Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL), a state-military policy on eliminating “threats to national security.” Violations on human rights, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances are carried out under this policy.

Casiño said that the NIS and OBL share the same framework, as they both treat progressive organizations as legitimate targets of military operations, ranging from surveillance to overt acts of aggression.

Behind the government’s acclaim of the NIS is a scheme of strategically cracking down on individuals opposing the administration. It aims not to preserve national security but to legalize suppression of civil liberties. # Philippine Collegian

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References: Reyes, V. (2008) National ID Resurrected. Retrieved February 9, 2008 from http://www.malaya. com.ph/jan08/ news1.htm

To win in a game of chess, “mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient,” advised Aaron Nimzovich, a chess grandmaster. This counsel sums up the whole of the Philippine political chessboard, where Gloria Arroyo is queen.

In avoiding both capture and checkmate, the queen carefully crafts her strategic gameplan – a synchrony of malevolence and pretense. For the opening salvo, other chess pieces are coordinated to crush all sites of opposition.

The king is the queen’s most valuable ally, for his defeat also means her own; the rooks secure the queen’s bastion, creating fortified fortresses; the knights are her armored cavalry, leading offensive and defensive assaults; the bishops are masters of diplomacy, establishing alliances and rebuilding severed ones; and finally, the pawns form the infantry, the most basic component of tactical and special operations units.

As the queen’s gameplan unravels, however, deceitful strategies and illegal shortcuts are exposed. Nearing the endgame, the maelstrom of battle intensifies, necessitating the most atrocious assaults and the most shameless calculations.

Chess is not a game for the faint-hearted, or so an old adage goes. Yet, Arroyo’s kind of political game is different. A perusal of the queen’s legion would show, not men of weak hearts, but their absence altogether.

King| Mike Arroyo
The King, as the Queen’s partner, is her most trusted adviser. They also share the same stamina for massive larceny. As proof of his enduring devotion, the king is ready to lash against anyone on the other end of the board. Famous for his ill-mannered moves against journalists, the king ensures that the queen is at the top of her game.

Rook| Raul Gonzales
The Department of Justice Secretary is preoccupied with one overriding concern – to exercise given powers against the queen’s detractors. Known for his haughty and careless remarks, Gonzales’ tongue is a useful offensive against the queen’s opponents.

Rook| Prospero Nograles
With Nogie positioned at the House of Representatives, Arroyo’s control over chess pieces in Congress is virtually assured, earning her more squares in the political chessboard. After Joey de Venecia’s damning revelations, shuffling moves between Jose de Venecia (JdV) and Nogie were initiated to conceal the King’s alleged crimes. With Nogie at the helm of Congress, the Lower House might resurrect the Charter Change to extend Arroyo’s term.

Knight | Hermogenes Esperon
With the creation of the Oplan Bantay Laya, Esperon leads the offensive to decimate the opponent’s pieces. The number of extrajudicial killings reached unprecedented heights with Esperon leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Knight| Avelino Razon
The Philippine National Police Chief functions to disperse Anti-arroyo rallies and secure tactical squares imperative to the administration’s defense. His expertise in anti-terror operations and his experience as former head of Task Force Usig complements Esperon’s, his counterpart in the military. Both ensure the government’s offensive under the counterinsurgency program.

Bishop| Ignacio Bunye
Defense, as they say, is the best offense. As the Press Secretary, Bunye is used to catching the mudslings thrown at the queen. At the height of every Presidential controversy, Bunye has only one thing to say: Move on. Forget the scandal. The President is busy with the economy.

Bishop| Eduardo Ermita
Known as the “Little President,” former general Eduardo Ermita takes charge when the queen is out of country. By dishing out statements to assure the queen is seated safely in her castle, Ermita is said to be her number one protector.

Pawn| Benjamin Abalos
The former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman guaranteed Arroyo’s triumph in the 2004 electoral tournament through dubious appointments and cover-ups. He is allegedly behind Virgilio Garcillano’s appointment to the Comelec in Mindanao, where the purported massive vote-shaving happened.

Pawn| Jose de Venecia
One of the queen’s long-time lapdogs, he had just been toppled down by his very own master. For years, legal strategies to checkmate the President were blocked with just one strike of the Speaker’s mallet. Today, however, JdV and Arroyo are at the opposite sites of the chessboard.

Pawn| Virgilio Garcillano
To assure the queen’s victory in the electoral tournament, Garci was allegedly positioned in certain areas to execute vote-padding and shaving operations. Retrieved wiretapped records demonstrate that he was persistently contacted by Arroyo herself during the course of the election campaign to assure that she would “still lead by more than 1 million.” True enough, she did.

Pawn| Romulo Neri
Arroyo’s favorite economist has yet to shed light on his involvement in the National Broadband Network scandal that implicated the king. His transfer from the National Economic Development Authority to the Commission on Higher Education can be traced to several reasons: his alleged refutation of the 6.2 percent growth figure projected by the queen, and his participation in the ZTE deal brokering.

Pawn| Jovito Palparan
Among the chess pieces, Palparan has gained notoriety for being the most brutal. Human rights groups have vehemently criticized the “Butcher” for his rampant violations of human rights, with hundreds of activist killings under his belt. After his stint at the AFP, he attempted to enter the legislative branch as a party-list nominee but lost. Without a doubt, Palparan was one of the greatest assets of Arroyo’s counter insurgency program. # Philippine Collegian

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