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The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) recently launched an
automated system that would modernize the renewal of NBI clearances
nationwide.
Through Mega Data Corp. (MDC), the NBI on Friday
pioneered a concept called the Clearance Renewal Card (CRC) which
has the capacity to store a person’s fingerprints and facial
biometrics within the chip embedded in the electronic card or
SmartCard.
The CRC, which costs P120, requires an Automated
Clearance Machine (ACM) to operate. The ACM is a computer that comes
with a face-recognition device, a camera and a fingerprint scanner
that will get rid of the manual processing and payment in acquiring
an NBI clearance.
The ACM would be available by July 1, 2008 in 30
malls and all NBI district, regional and satellite offices
nationwide. This would be initially available in NBI Renewal kiosks
in Mega Mall, Tutuban Center in Manila, Makati Park Square, Cuevas
Mall in Imus, Robinsons Mall in Cebu City and Victoria Plaza in
Davao City.
Jose Avedillo, MDC vice-president and chief
marketing officer, said the manual processing would continue until
the end of the year but by next year all paper-based transactions
would be replaced by the ACMs.
“It’s the convenience that we’re after.
We’re not imposing everybody to buy it but there are people who
are clamoring for it, especially the OFWs,” Avedillo said.
Companies often require the NBI clearance before
employing. It guarantees that an applicant has no pending criminal
record with the NBI.
Since the CRC stores biometric information about
the cardholders, all they need to do is go to an ACM, pay the
required fee and in a few minutes, they could get their renewed NBI
clearance, MDC officials said.
Rickson Chiong, NBI deputy director for
administrative services, said the automation was implemented to
lessen the long queues in NBI offices, estimated at around 3,000
renewal applicants a day. He said this effort would make the
clearance processing service faster, more convenient and less
expensive to the public.
Mega Data Corp., the systems integration company
of the Mega Group of Companies, is the NBI’s prime computerization
contractor since 1977. It is behind the license renewal center of
the Land Transportation Office and the ID Card project of the
Professional Regulation Commission.
-- Krista Angela Montealegre (TMTC)
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