Some 7,359 persons with disability (PWDs) in this city have received new identification (ID) cards with quick response (QR) codes to ensure data security, records of the Department of Social Services and Development (DSSD) showed.

By May 1, only PWD cards with QR codes will be honored for discounts by business establishments in the city.

In a press conference on Monday, DSSD officer-in-charge Alma Gustilo said almost all PWDs here have been issued the new cards, which have been released faster, following the city’s acquisition of a brand-new ID printing machine.

“It’s easy and fast to apply. In a matter of five minutes, if their requirements are complete, they can already claim their PWD ID,” she added.

Using a smartphone, business establishments in Bacolod can scan the QR code to determine the validity of the PWD card.

Applicants of PWD ID cards are classified under seven disability categories as provided in Republic Act 7277, or the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.

These include psychosocial disability, disability caused by chronic illness, learning disability, mental disability, visual disability, orthopedic disability, and communication disability.

In February this year, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez ordered the DSSD to recall all the existing PWD ID cards so the city could “ensure data security, comply with updated regulations, and address other relevant concerns regarding the PWD cards, including indiscriminate issuance.”

He said that for now, Bacolod is the only local government unit in the country to add a QR code as a data security feature on PWD cards.

“This system is for the protection of our business establishments. They will be put at a disadvantage if fake IDs get through and eventually, also the government, since the additional taxes would go to waste,” the mayor said. (PNA)