| Letter
to the Editor - April 27, 2005
References: Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson
Contact Numbers: 415-1924 and 0927-2157392
Executive
Order 420
Gloria's National ID system is a step towards martial rule
Migrant
workers and their families under the aegis of the MIGRANTE Sectoral
Party join the growing opposition to the Macapagal-Arroyo government's
frenzied drive for a centralized ID system with the recent exposure
of Executive Order 420.
We call
on Malacanang to immediately rescind Executive Order 420 as this
will never translate into better government services and actions
to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families. We will
never accede to a system that will initially result into the invasion
of anyone's privacy, progress into the wiretapping of personal communication
facilities, surveillance, illegal arrests and other violations of
human rights.
We oppose
the National Identification System being pushed by President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)
Secretary Angelo Reyes, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and other
militarists in government.
Along with
other 'anti-terror' bills in Congress, Pres. Arroyo's EO 420 aims
to railroad an ID system that aims to get each person's vital information
for the benefit of terrorists in government. When we say terrorists
(read: militarists) in government, we mean those who have short
tempers and those do not want critics of their anti-people policies.
We reiterate
that a National ID system will not address the issue of violence
in the country, nor will it guarantee more and better social services
from government offices for the people. The terrorists in government
were secretly shepherding EO 420 priority list in attempts to avoid
intense public criticism it is now receiving.
While Palace
officials have said that "all data stored in the system would
be considered as confidential and only the person with the ID or
his duly authorized representative would be allowed to access information,
we ask: who will be guarding those in government with access to
the ID system's database against any abuse? Who will stand to benefit
from the gathering of all the personal and private information of
all persons?
We pledge
to join all efforts to junk EO 420. We will not allow this administration
to bring us into the worst days of martial rule. #
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