Beneficiaries of the Philippine’s Social Security System (SSS) will soon be issued new United Multipurpose Identification (UMID) cards equipped with contactless chips, according to Sunstar.com.

The UMID cards, which feature a magnetic stripe in addition to the chip, are designed to facilitate secure transactions over the SSS and combat fraud, agency officials said.

In addition to standard ID functions, the cards will enable holders to withdraw benefits and other loan proceeds from ATMs.

According to Sunstar.com, other government agencies such as the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig are joining the UMID system.

The SSS says they plan to distribute some 600,000 new cards over the next two months.

Read more here.