MANILA, Philippines – One of the oldest conglomerates in the Philippines placed a bid to develop the infrastructure needed for the modern national identification system.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Tuesday, August 14, Ayala Corporation said it submitted an unsolicited proposal to the Philippine Statistics Authority. (READ: National ID law: Here’s the law, plus quick summary)

Ayala Corporation said it formed a consortium together with AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation, Aboitiz InfraCapital Incorporated, and Unisys Philippines for the “design and development of a national identity infrastructure solution, which is intended to collect, store, maintain, manage, and authenticate identity information of individuals.”

The disclosure also states that the consortium’s efforts would last 17 years and would provide an “expedient, comprehensive, and long-term solution that will enable the government to realize the full potential of its strategic programs.”

They also aim to provide a “safe and benefits payment mechanism” for government transactions. (READ: ‘Record history’ casts cloud of doubt on proposed national ID system)

The national ID system law aims to create a single official ID for all Filipinos. This would allow faster government transactions, as individuals no longer need to show various IDs to agencies.

However, privacy experts have warned that the move is essentially a comprehensive surveillance system. – Rappler.com