No thanks to the poor implementation of the National ID law, many poor and deserving commuters may be denied the chance to avail of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT-3)’s “Libreng Sakay” this month, Senator Ping Lacson said.
Lacson, who co-authored and sponsored what is now RA 11055 or the Act Establishing a Philippine Identification System, noted many Filipinos still do not have an ID despite having applied for one years ago.
“This is good but unfair to poor and deserving commuters who will not be benefited by failure of the government to provide the national IDs to them in spite of having applied months, even years ago.”
“This is good but unfair to poor and deserving commuters who will not be benefited by failure of the government to provide the national IDs to them in spite of having applied months, even years ago,” the veteran legislator said in a post on X.
The Department of Transportation offered free rides to MRT-3 commuters who will use their national IDs. The free rides are offered from 9 to 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on all Wednesdays of August.
It said commuters may present their IDs, printed papers, or digital copies of their national IDs to security personnel at the service gate to avail of the free rides.
Earlier, the seasoned lawmaker said the national ID would have been a key to effective social services, but its implementation was flawed. As a result, the senator said many who applied for the national ID are still waiting for their cards.
He said lawmakers must revisit the implementation of the national ID law as part of their oversight functions.
