MANILA – The Supreme Court has declared constitutional the national identification system that the Arroyo administration wants to carry out. In a 24-page en banc decision, written by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the Court said President Arroyo did not usurp legislative authority when she issued Executive Order 420, which provided for the Unified Multipurpose ID system, in February 2005.

Reacting to the news, Malacanang said the government has the funds to undertake the national ID system.
The justices voted 12-2-1 for the system. The dissenters were Associate Justices Consuelo Ynares-Santiago and Adolf Azcuna.  Senior Associate Justice Reynato Puno went on official leave after the death of his wife, the lawyer Luzviminda Puno.  The Court said Malaca±ang committed no grave abuse of discretion when it issued the order. It dismissed the petition filed by several lawmakers and activist groups who said that EO 420 is unconstitutional and similar to the ID system that President Fidel Ramos tried to enforce in 1996 through Administrative Order 308.
Among those who signed the petition were Bayan Muna Representatives Satur Ocampo, Teodoro Casi±o and Joel Virador, Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza, Anakpawis Representatives Rafael Mariano and Crispin Beltran and Representatives Francis Escudero, Edu¡ardo Zialcita and Lorenzo Ta±ada 3rd.  Respondents in the petition were Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Director General Romulo Neri of the National Economic and Development Authority and Administrator Carmelita Ericta of the National Statistics Office.
On July 23, 1998, in Senator Blas Ople v. Executive Secretary Ruben Torres, the Court declared unconstitutional Ramos’s AO 308, calling it a “clear and present danger” that would infringe the right to privacy.  In its latest ruling the Court said the new EO would not violate the people’s privacy.  The Court is also expected to release within the week its ruling on Executive Order 464, which prohibits officials and employees under the executive department from attending investigations in the Senate and the House unless cleared by Malacanang.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri said that the ID system has been shelved, and that the project remains a top priority of President Arroyo.  “There is no truth to news stories published by some news groups that the UM-ID System has been technically shelved after the Department of Budget and Management realigned some amounts allotted under the 2005 e-Government Fund, including the P200 million intended for the UM-ID.