With due respect to our most learned officials, I do honestly believe that there is an urgency to pass a law mandating a national identification card (ID), as advocated by then President Fidel V. Ramos.
With only one national ID, Filipinos will not have to carry so many IDs. There are many establishments that require the presentation of IDs. For some it is very fortunate that a Senior Citizens Card is sufficient, but this ID is
issued only to persons who are 60 years old and above by the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs of the local unit where they reside.
If I remember correctly, I read in the paper and heard over the radio that the Tax Information Number (TIN) is no longer necessary in the same vein that the Community Tax Certificate or cedula—which by the way could be very easily secured on sidewalks, particularly in Manila—is no longer recognized.
I was thus surprised when I was asked to present my TIN while submitting a document at a branch office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Luckily I had with me at the time a card with my name and the number. I was tempted at first to answer that my name and number were already in their computer database, but because my late parents advised me not to argue with a woman, I readily gave the BIR officer the number. Nevertheless, she went to her computer to verify if I had given her my correct TIN.
—EDUARDO A. TRINOS,
Sto. Niño Executive Homes,
Cabuyao, 4025 Laguna