Gov’t marks mid-year 2021 with over 37M PhilSys registrations

MANILA – With 37.2 million Filipinos taking the initial step towards registering for the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys, the government is on track to reaching its 50 to 70 million target registrations by the end of the year, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

From zero registrations on the onset of the pandemic last April 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that as of July 2, around 37.2 million individuals have been registered for Step 1, or the demographic data collection.

Some 16.2 million individuals have also completed their step 2 registration or biometrics capture.

Moreover, 343,742 registrants have received their PhilID cards.

“The Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) crisis underscores the need to provide unhampered access to banking and social services for all Filipinos, especially the poor. This is why the President gave the directive to accelerate the implementation of the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys to provide all Filipinos a unique and digitalized ID,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in a statement Friday.

To safely roll-out PhilSys amid the pandemic and meet social distancing requirements, the PSA adopted a three-step registration process. The first step is the demographic data collection, which can be done through house-to-house or online registration.

The second is the biometrics capture at designated registration centers. And the third is the issuance of the PhilSys Number or PSN and PhilID card.

PhilSys also partnered with the Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) to allow registrants to open bank accounts in registration centers.

As of July 2, 4.4 million registrants have applied for an account with the LBP.

In a memorandum, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the PhiIID “should be accepted as official and sufficient proof of identity without the need to present any other identification documents.”

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also recently ordered all local government units to recognize the PhilID in public and private transactions.

“We aim to register 50 to 70 million Filipinos with the PhilSys and achieve 100-percent financial inclusion at the family level by the end of the year. This will help the government efficiently identify beneficiaries for social protection programs and spark the widespread use of electronic payments to accelerate the digital economy,” Chua said.

For the latest information on PhilSys, visit its official website or Facebook page.

To register for PhilSys online, proceed to the Step 1 registration page. You may also reach the PhilSys Registry Office via hotline number 1388 or e-mail at info@philsys.gov.ph.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, the PhilSys 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 also seeks to boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PR)