Admin
22nd December 2004, 15:15
NEW YORK, December 10, 2004 --- Encouraged by the popularity of Mexican consular identification cards, the matrĂ.cular consular, the Philippine Consulate in the United States will start issuing similar consular identification cards to Filipinos in 2005.
The move is long-awaited by many undocumented Filipinos who could not open a bank account and live in deprivation since they have come to the United States.
“It will be voluntary. It could help a lot of Filipinos,” said Consul General Cecilia Rebong, in an interview. She said the issuance of the ID card would be advantageous to Filipinos so they can open a bank account, be accepted in hospitals and have proper identification with police officers.
The cards will help the Philippine government to keep track of its citizens for consular, tax and census purposes and to provide a verifiable form of identification for Filipinos in the United States. The formal announcement on the issuance of cards will be given by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Rebong said all seven Philippine Consulates in the U.S. would issue the ID cards next year. She said she had met her counterpart official from the Mexican Consulate and she had learned of the many benefits of the Consulate ID.
Due to an increase of undocumented Filipino workers in the United States, most immigrant groups pushing for immigrant rights believe the ID cards would encourage undocumented immigrants to work with law enforcement, deal with financial institutions and even get health insurance and drivers’ licenses in some states.
For 45-year-old Martha Ligos (not her real name), who has been working as a housekeeper in Manhattan for eight years and has no documents, she is unable to open a bank account. She keeps her weekly salary hidden in her apartment. A year ago, somebody stole her hard-earned dollars and she couldn’t do anything but cry. She has moved to a new apartment in Jersey City but still lives in fear and insecurity. The Philippine ID would be honored by banks in the United States, solving her problem by safe-keeping her dollars.
“I commend the initiative of the Philippine Consulate to assist Filipinos who are having difficulties in procuring U.S. state ID. I understand that this is a voluntary one and not mandatory. The Consulate should be able to allay and properly address fears of privacy and security issues. In order for the system to be a success, the Consulate must devise a mechanism that would ensure confidentiality and protect the integrity of the information obtained under the ID system,” top Filipino-American immigration lawyer Reuben Seguritan said in an interview.
The Philippines Congress has proposed a national ID system in the Philippines, but faced opposition from many groups due to fears that the ID system would be used to detain people or violate human rights of some suspected people.
In the United States, approximately 70 banks and 56 credit unions, including Citibank, Bank of America, U.S. Bancorp, and Wells Fargo, accept the matrĂ.cula as a form of identification. Financial institutions have begun to recognize the huge market of these consumers, who operate primarily in a cash economy. Customers must provide a second form of ID, like an Individual Taxpayer Identification.
The Blue Cross of California also accepts the matrĂ.cula so that Mexicans can apply for their own health insurance. It said that the matrĂ.cula can also be used to open electrical company accounts and telephone lines in California. The success of the Mexican ID encouraged many consulates from Latin America to issue their own ID for their citizens.
But critics of the consulate IDs say the growing use of such cards will effectively take U.S. national security matters, identity verification, and other crucial issues out of the hands of the U.S. government and put it in the hands of foreign countries. Some groups are also criticizing the plan because it would encourage illegal immigration. The Mexican ID prints the name, date of birth, photo and address of the ID bearer, but it doesn’t mention the person’s immigration status.
But the Philippine Consulate said in the aftermath of September 11, there is a need to properly identify Filipino workers, especially in case of emergency or terrorist attacks.
Rebong said the Philippine Consulate would design ID cards with security features and anti-forging cards so as it could gain wide acceptance in U.S. institutions. She said they were doing research to come up with the ideal ID cards.
The move is long-awaited by many undocumented Filipinos who could not open a bank account and live in deprivation since they have come to the United States.
“It will be voluntary. It could help a lot of Filipinos,” said Consul General Cecilia Rebong, in an interview. She said the issuance of the ID card would be advantageous to Filipinos so they can open a bank account, be accepted in hospitals and have proper identification with police officers.
The cards will help the Philippine government to keep track of its citizens for consular, tax and census purposes and to provide a verifiable form of identification for Filipinos in the United States. The formal announcement on the issuance of cards will be given by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Rebong said all seven Philippine Consulates in the U.S. would issue the ID cards next year. She said she had met her counterpart official from the Mexican Consulate and she had learned of the many benefits of the Consulate ID.
Due to an increase of undocumented Filipino workers in the United States, most immigrant groups pushing for immigrant rights believe the ID cards would encourage undocumented immigrants to work with law enforcement, deal with financial institutions and even get health insurance and drivers’ licenses in some states.
For 45-year-old Martha Ligos (not her real name), who has been working as a housekeeper in Manhattan for eight years and has no documents, she is unable to open a bank account. She keeps her weekly salary hidden in her apartment. A year ago, somebody stole her hard-earned dollars and she couldn’t do anything but cry. She has moved to a new apartment in Jersey City but still lives in fear and insecurity. The Philippine ID would be honored by banks in the United States, solving her problem by safe-keeping her dollars.
“I commend the initiative of the Philippine Consulate to assist Filipinos who are having difficulties in procuring U.S. state ID. I understand that this is a voluntary one and not mandatory. The Consulate should be able to allay and properly address fears of privacy and security issues. In order for the system to be a success, the Consulate must devise a mechanism that would ensure confidentiality and protect the integrity of the information obtained under the ID system,” top Filipino-American immigration lawyer Reuben Seguritan said in an interview.
The Philippines Congress has proposed a national ID system in the Philippines, but faced opposition from many groups due to fears that the ID system would be used to detain people or violate human rights of some suspected people.
In the United States, approximately 70 banks and 56 credit unions, including Citibank, Bank of America, U.S. Bancorp, and Wells Fargo, accept the matrĂ.cula as a form of identification. Financial institutions have begun to recognize the huge market of these consumers, who operate primarily in a cash economy. Customers must provide a second form of ID, like an Individual Taxpayer Identification.
The Blue Cross of California also accepts the matrĂ.cula so that Mexicans can apply for their own health insurance. It said that the matrĂ.cula can also be used to open electrical company accounts and telephone lines in California. The success of the Mexican ID encouraged many consulates from Latin America to issue their own ID for their citizens.
But critics of the consulate IDs say the growing use of such cards will effectively take U.S. national security matters, identity verification, and other crucial issues out of the hands of the U.S. government and put it in the hands of foreign countries. Some groups are also criticizing the plan because it would encourage illegal immigration. The Mexican ID prints the name, date of birth, photo and address of the ID bearer, but it doesn’t mention the person’s immigration status.
But the Philippine Consulate said in the aftermath of September 11, there is a need to properly identify Filipino workers, especially in case of emergency or terrorist attacks.
Rebong said the Philippine Consulate would design ID cards with security features and anti-forging cards so as it could gain wide acceptance in U.S. institutions. She said they were doing research to come up with the ideal ID cards.