PSA sets timeline for PhilSys registration amid pandemic

AN ID FOR EVERY FILIPINO. National Statistician, Undersecretary Claire Dennis Mapa, in a virtual press briefing on Friday (Oct. 9, 2020), explains the three-step process of registering targeted Filipinos for the Philippine Identification System. The Philippine Statistics Authority aims to give the majority of Filipinos a single national ID by the end of 2022. (Screengrabbed from RTVM via PNA)

MANILA – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to start collecting demographic data from targeted low-income Filipinos in 664 cities and municipalities in the country’s 32 provinces next week, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said Friday.

In a virtual press briefing, Mapa said the PSA would conduct Step 1 or the pre-registration of the targeted respondents beginning October 12.

It will be followed by Step 2 or the registration, which involves the validation and biometric capture of the registrants’ fingerprints, iris scan, and photographs.

“This will start at the end of November until December 30,” Mapa said.

The issuance of the registrants’ Personal Serial Number (PSN) and the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card will begin in 2021, he said, noting that this is part of Step 3.

“The target of the government remains, which is to complete the registration and the issuance of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) numbers and the ID to all Filipinos at the end of 2022. Our target is 92 million, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic,” Mapa said.

He assured that the PSA would follow stringent health protocols during the registration processes.

“Our priority is the safety of the registrants and our registration officers by implementing the PhilSys registration protocol, (which) is designed specifically to address the health and safety standards,” Mapa said.

He added that the registration for the general public would begin in 2021 once the PSA is done with the registration of the targeted five million low-income household heads.

With the registration amid the pandemic, Mapa said, the PSA has strengthened its health protocols to ensure strict adherence to the government’s safety standards to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 while conducting the PhilSys registration.

He noted that the three-step process “is to simply reduce the exposure” of the registration staff and the registrants to the virus.

Stringent disinfection measures, physical distancing, and wearing of protective gear, such as face masks and face shields, will be strictly followed during the PhilSys registration, Mapa said.

He said the PSA, in coordination with local government units, has identified 32 areas with low risk of Covid-19 transmission to be the first batch to undergo the registration.

Mapa said the PSA would ensure enough supply of alcohol and other disinfectants in registration centers, regular sanitation of the area and the machines used in the registration process, and regular check-up of registration personnel.

Any Covid-19-related symptoms seen during the registration process should be reported right away to the technical working group supervisor for immediate action, he added.

Target registrants

Mapa said the PSA is eyeing at least nine million Filipinos to complete Steps 1 and 2 by the end of the year.

“As mentioned for this operation, from October to December, the Philippine Statistics Authority is aiming to get at least nine million Filipinos to complete their Registration Step 1, capturing of the demographic information and the appointment system for the Registration Step 2,” he said.

The PSA targets to register the majority of Filipinos by the end of 2022.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.

It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions.