3 million PWD ID holders asked to register anew

About 3 million holders of persons with disabilities (PWDs) IDs will have to enroll in the new unified digital ID system that seeks to phase out the old physical IDs in the next three years and flag bogus ones.

Signed in July this year, Administrative Order (AO) No. 001, s. 2026, of the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) provides for a three-year transition period for the data collection and integration into the new system.

READ: CSC reminds gov’t agencies: Provide PWD lane

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The 2.9 million holders of valid and unexpired physical PWD IDs may register with their local government units (LGUs), either through the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO) or the Social Welfare and Development Office.

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Old PWD ID holders need not submit new disability certificates, but medical specialists may verify the authenticity of old records in case of doubt or discrepancy, according to Glenda Relova, NCDA executive director.

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“Usually those that are faked are the nonapparent disabilities. The PDAO uploads the disability certificates [into the system]. And if they have doubts, they can just set aside the data and hold the release of the ID,” Relova said in a press briefing last week announcing the new system under the AO.

“[The LGU] will just send to the NCDA the medical certificate or the disability certificate and we can definitely verify it with our doctors,” she added.

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Avoid delays

New applicants, on the other hand, will have to submit a certificate of disability signed by a licensed physician or specialist.

Upon registration, the new digital IDs may be issued immediately and physical cards may be printed only upon request.

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The LGU staff who encoded, approved and printed the ID will be logged into the system to ensure accountability.

Enrolling into the unified system will enable PWDs to avail of privileges and benefits without unnecessary delays caused by apprehensions over fake identities and ailments, the order noted.

The unified digital PWD ID comes with a unique QR code and alphanumeric number that would remain valid for life for people with “permanent disabilities.”

But a “periodic revalidation every five years would be held for PWDs with “nonapparent disabilities,” or those diagnosed with mental and psychosocial disorders.

Fake PWD IDs

“Revalidation procedures shall be accessible, non-burdensome and nondiscriminatory, with reasonable accommodations provided. No [PWDs] shall have benefits suspended or denied without due process,” read part of the 10-page AO.

NCDA spokesperson Walter Alava told the Inquirer that this category of disabilities is the most common diagnosis claimed by people using fake PWD IDs, citing rough estimates.

The Department of Health’s current registry lists nine types of disabilities, which is also used by NCDA. These are speech impairment, deaf and hard of hearing, cancer, rare disease as well as learning, intellectual, mental, psychosocial, visual and physical disabilities.

As of Oct. 21, there are 3.3 million registered as PWDs. Of the number only 2.9 million are using PWD IDs, according to Relova.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had earlier put the discrepancy between PWDs and PWD IDs at around 6 million. But NCDA officials recently disputed this, saying it was an old estimate presented during a 2024 Senate inquiry.

After the Senate investigated the discrepancy, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed NCDA to address the matter by establishing a database and the unified PWD ID system. NCDA is an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

‘Unscrupulous’ officials

Alava acknowledged that no one has been held liable for violating the use of PWD IDs. He, however, said that NCDA is monitoring cases from around Metro Manila.

“The cases currently being pursued as examples are still undergoing the rigorous legal process. So, these cases have already been filed, but as of this moment, no one has been penalized yet,” he said.

Individuals found to be faking the illnesses to get PWD IDs may face criminal charges, such as falsification of public documents. Government employees found to be in connivance with them could face administrative sanctions, such as dismissal from service or perpetual disqualification, or worse, criminal charges, such as graft.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, an advocate of the rights of PWDs and senior citizens, urged the government to “crack down heavily on unscrupulous local or public officials who exploit their authority” to issue PWD IDs to unqualified individuals in exchange for personal favors.

Business establishments, on the other hand, should be guided by persistent advisories from the NCDA and the DOJ to help them distinguish between fake PWD IDs, including those that look legitimate but are issued by a PWD organization, he said.

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“If the ID is merely issued by a PWD organization, be it legitimate or illegitimate, such ID should not be honored because the law honors only government-issued PWD ID,” Macalintal told the Inquirer. INQ