Card briefs: Philippine Zone to Use Drexler's LaserCard

will be used by citizens of the Philippines as an admission pass and for retail purchases in the duty-free Clark Special Economic Zone, at the site of a former U.S. Air Force base. Drexler, which markets the optical memory technology in competition with chip-based smart cards, said it has received an order for 50,000 of the cards, 20 reader/writers, and 10 full-color, visual-image printers for delivery this quarter. Card issuance is expected to commence in December. Philippine citizens over 18 will be allowed to purchase a LaserCard for entry into the economic zone, which is 60 miles north of Manila. The card also will be used for recording and tallying the duty-free purchases to ensure they are within government-designated limits. Drexler said its card, which holds four megabytes of data, had previously been selected for the warranty and service program of Honda Cars Philippines Inc. That success was instrumental in its getting the Clark contract, Drexler said.