Fingerprint erased?

It's one of those days when my brain just refuses to cooperate so I can string together words that will mean something that is worth reading. But I will force myself to write.

The ideas swirling in my head aren't coming together as I'd like so I have to table them for another day. In the meantime, let me just share about something interesting that I discovered yesterday. (It was supposed to be TODAY but I didn't have the energy to finish the article last night)

Government has rolled out a national ID and is encouraging every citizen from 5 years old and up to register. Many of our citizens, believe it or not, lack this vital document as proof of their identity. Without a proper and valid identification card, they are deprived of many privileges and benefits, primary of which is opening a bank account.

There are actually a number of government IDs that one can apply for but these are issued by various agencies and usually have multiple requirements which many people don't have or can't access, mostly because they lack funds.

Typically, it is the passport, driver's license, the SSS or GSIS card (social security for private and public workers) or PRC ID (for professionals) that are considered primary IDs. If you have any of these, you're good to go.

The first two not only have documentary requirements to obtain one, they also cost money. The social security cards are for free when you first apply for them, and the PRC (Professional Regulation Commission) I would think also has an accompanying fee, and has to be renewed regularly as with the passport or driver's license.

There is the TIN or Tax Identification Number card, but to date it's not the PVC type, and you need to provide your own 1 x 1 photo and have it laminated yourself for preservation.

The point is, with so many marginalized citizens who are barely scraping by everyday, applying for the many IDs from every government agency is not only tedious but time-consuming and costly.

The National ID, however, is for free and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which is tasked with this huge undertaking, has even gone around to remote areas or in places where low-income families reside, to help citizens get started.

The process can also be done online - at least the first step - while the next phase of taking individual biometrics has to be done either at PSA offices or satellite centers that have been set up in malls or establishments for easier access.

While issued for free, there are still required documents necessary to verify one's identity, although I believe it can be as simple as a barangay (village) certification that you are an actual resident in your area, and this costs around 100 pesos. You will need a Community Tax Certificate (Cedula) which costs 10 pesos or less for this.

Anyway, I do have valid government IDs and my birth certificate and this met the required documentation for the Step 2 Registration.

I find it funny that when registering online you need to set an appointment for your Biometrics because this is absolutely useless when you get to the satellite office. There were more walk-in clients than those holding appointments so it didn't matter if you had an appointed time to arrive or not - you do not get priority.

Source

But I did find it more convenient that I accomplished the first step online because it meant not having to spend time filling up the form manually, and having the staff encode the data. For one, since I personally filled out the form, all information in there should be correct, including the spelling of names and addresses.

On the other hand, there is a risk that wrong or misspelled information may be encoded, which is being copied from your filled-out form and if you missed this during proofing, then it will be your fault.

The queue was haphazard so I managed to get ahead of people who weren't paying attention if it was their turn or not. The wait was perhaps 10 minutes.

Finally, it was my turn. It took a minute to scan my ID and birth certificate (and this process I could view on my screen), and another minute (because the staff inputted a wrong digit in my reference number) to pull up my filled-out form.

First was the front-facing photograph. Check. Then it was the iris scan. Cool. Check again. The last step was the fingerprint scan. Two thumbs first. It captured my left thumb but the image was unclear for my right, even when I stood up and pressed down harder. They needed to scan three times. I did mine for five because it took forever for it to successfully scan my right thumb. Oh-oh.

Then it was the four other digits of my hand. Again, the scanner refused to read my right fingers. The clerk asked to do the left hand first. While it took a few tries, it was successful. Back to the right hand digits.

It took maybe seven or eight tries but my ring finger and pinky never gave out clear prints. All failed. Huhuhu!

So, it means I've lost the clear whorls that make up fingerprints of my right hand? Oh my gosh!!! When I inspected my fingers, yup they were smooth to the touch but cracked when you looked at it closely.

The clerk just decided to make a notation and instead asked me to hold my right hand next to my face and took a picture of it. Done!

But I was very sad. Imagine, losing my identity via fingerprints. Good thing there's still my left hand.

I realized that in the last 18 months since we've been quarantined at home, I've had to do a lot of housework, primarily washing dishes and laundry, which meant exposing my hands to all sorts of chemicals and ingredients that have made my skin sensitive. There was a time that I burned the skin off due to epoxy glue getting stuck on my thumb and index finger. Plus the many nicks and cuts from chopping veggies.

Even with gloves on, the heat would make my hand sweat and chafe my skin. Water and chemicals can really be anti-skin, and I did develop an allergy for about two weeks.

It hasn't improved a lot, and it totally slipped my mind that it could affect my Biometrics. But I do appreciate that there was a solution to my "problem."

The National ID bears no signature, although most private establishments only accept identification cards with this. The PSA has been explaining that the Biometrics is a step up in terms of security because these days, so many have mastered the art of forgery and fraud, thus the need for strong authentication of identities.

Since one of the purposes of establishing the National ID system is to enable citizens to open a bank account, the government-owned Land Bank will accept the National ID for account opening.

In fact, there is a Land Bank table right outside the satellite office and even without the physical card (which will be mailed to you in a month or so), you can already open a bank account without need for a minimum deposit.

Lead image from Unsplash