By Jovelyn Cullado
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) seeks to register 70 million Filipinos for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) which will generate PhilID or national identification cards by the end of 2021.
Republic Act 11055, or the Philipppine Identification System Act, requires Filipinos to register for a national identification card which will be the foundation of identification in the country.It covers both citizens and resident foreigners.
PhilSys aims to provide an accessible and convenient way of transaction between citizens and the private and public sectors.
Its first step towards national registration started last year, which included collection of information such as names, birthdate and other necessary information. Government personnel went house-to-house to gather these data.
By the time all the necessary information was gathered, an appointment for biometrics, facial recognition, and iris scan was scheduled. Local government units (LGUs) were ordered to assist Filipinos during this second step.
Citizens had to wait for the third and final step, the printing and distribution of PhilSys cards. According to reports, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has already printed 500,000 cards and is ready to ship to areas where registrants reside.
PhilSys also offered online registration for Filipinos who have no time for long queues and fear going out of their homes. They can go the PhilSys website (https://register.philsys.gov.ph/#/eng) and follow the steps detailed there.
PSA also partnered with Robinsons malls to accommodate Filipinos who want to register for the national ID, May 27.
Before the IDs were issued, Malacañang warned against those who would reject the national ID in transactions. According to the implementing rules and regulations of the act, people who would refuse to acknowledge the PhilID will be fined P500,000 and disqualified from running as public officials.
To date, there are 12.1 million Filipinos who have completed the second step of the registration process and are waiting for the delivery of their national ID. About 100,000 IDs have been delivered to successful registrants.
The PSA warned the public about posting photos of the ID cards once they were delivered.
"Ang inyong PSN at PhilID ay ide-deliver ng PHLPost sa inyong tahanan! Paalala lamang po na huwag i-post sa social media ang inyong PhilID dahil ito ay naglalaman ng inyong personal na impormasyon,” said PSA.
(Your PSN and PhilID will be delivered to your homes! Just a reminder not to post your PhilID in social media as these contain your personal information.)
Questions regarding the national ID replacing other government IDs were also clarified by the PSA. It was contrary to the assumption of some Filipinos who thought the national ID would be the sole ID for all transactions.
According to the website of the National Economic Development Authority’s (NEDA), who authorizes PhilSys, "the PhilID will not replace the existing functional IDs that serve other purposes.
“The PhilID is a foundational ID which serves as a valid proof of identity which would help ease transactions with both government and private sector through easier validation and authentication of identity,” it added.
Filipinos aged 18 and above are qualified to register for PhilID. They can do this online, at Robinsons malls or selected areas near their residence.
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