PSA to recommend OFWs secure nat’l IDs

According to Bersales, parents can register their children’s national ID soon as they secure a birth certificate.(PNA photo)

MANILA — Although getting a national identification (ID) card is not mandatory, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Saturday said it will recommend it for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“Ang balak po namin ay ipo-propose po namin sa POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) na sana iyong mga OFW natin bago sila lumabas ng bansa para magtrabaho sa labas ay makakuha na sila ng national ID (We plan to propose to the POEA that our OFWs, before they leave the country, secure a national ID),” PSA head Lisa Grace Bersales said in a radio interview.

Bersales said though that OFWs can also secure their national IDs while abroad by visiting the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) consulates in their respective countries.

She said the consulates are where OFWs secure their birth certificates, marriage licenses, among other identification documents.

She added that a national ID will also benefit senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

“Ang vision uli ay hindi na natin kailangan ng (The vision is that there will no longer be a need for the) senior citizen card, eventually. For senior citizens to avail of all of the privileges, then a national ID is what they can show,” she added.

According to Bersales, parents can register their children’s national ID soon as they secure a birth certificate.

She, however, said biometric can first be captured when the child is five years old and the ID will be renewed when they turn 18.

“Siya po ay pupunta sa registration center to capture biometric and all other information. Ang naisip po namin, five years old ang una (The child has to go to the registration center to capture biometric and all other information. We are thinking they can start with those as young as five-years-old),” Bersales said.

On Aug. 6, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Philippine Identification System Act, which seeks to integrate the various government IDs of all citizens and foreign residents in the country.