Over 50 million Filipinos have already registered for the National ID, exceeding the target ahead of its December 30 deadline, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
As of December 11, 2021, the PSA has registered 50.014 million Filipinos to the demographic and biometric data collection. The target is to register 50 million Filipinos by December 31 this year.
Step 2 Registration, which involves validating supporting documents and collecting biometric information such as iris scans, fingerprints, and front-facing photographs, began in January 2021 in 32 priority provinces that were considered low-risk areas for Covid-19.
âThe PSA salutes all those who contributed to this milestone for the PhilSys Step 2 Registration,â said PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General. âNotwithstanding the pandemic and the restrictions that came with it, the PSAâtogether with its field offices, partner agencies, and key stakeholdersâworked relentlessly to ensure that more Filipinos can begin registering for their PhilIDs.â
As of December 10, 2021, some 4.414 million Filipinos have already received their PhilID cards. These cards will soon have a digital version through the soon-to-be-launched PhilSys mobile app. Registrants can already use this alternative while waiting for their actual PhilIDs.
Further, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said in a news statement that in partnership with the PSA, the Land Bank of the Philippines has also processed 6.787 million bank account applications through a co-location strategy in PhilSys registration centers.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said this milestone would help promote financial inclusion, improve targeting of beneficiaries, and accelerate the delivery of government social protection programs for all Filipinos.
âThe pandemic emphasized the urgency of providing every Filipino with a unique and digitized ID. This is why we accelerated the rollout of the PhilSys. We congratulate and thank the PSA, our government and development partners, private sector stakeholders, and registration officers for making this huge accomplishment possible,â Chua said.
In order to reach more registrants, PhilSys registration sites will remain open in the remaining working days of the year. PSA also enjoins the private sector to host mobile registrations in their respective workplaces and communities.
Assistant Secretary Rosalinda P. Bautista, Deputy National Statistician of the PhilSys Registry Office (PRO), commended the efforts of PSA field offices for the rollout of registration operations and assured the public that the PSA will continue to organize programs that will open more opportunities for Filipinos to register to the PhilSys next year.
âThe PhilSys will enhance service delivery of both the public and private sector and give every Filipino, especially the poor, access to much-needed social and financial services. We encourage everyone to register and take part in this game-changing reform,â said Chua.
The three-step PhilSys registration process began in October 2020, which prioritized low-income households in the 32 priority provinces. As part of the PhilSys Step 1 Registration, PhilSys registration team conducted house-to-house collection of the registrantsâ demographic information amid the extended quarantine protocols.
The nationwide collection of registrantsâ demographic information was also made possible with the launch of the online PhilSys registration site in April 2021.
The PSA gradually expanded its Step 2 Registration operations as more Filipinos realize the benefits of having a national ID. As of today, 1,622 registration centers across the country continue to accommodate the Step 1 registrants.
It also established partnerships with local government units (LGUs), other government agencies, and private institutions to bring the registration experience closer to more Filipinos.
Further, PSA implemented various registration drives and other institutional registration strategies to onboard working and middle-class individuals, and persons deprived of liberty (PDL).
The PSA also has recently extended its registration efforts to citizens living in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA). On May 18, 2021, the Provincial Statistical Office of Pampanga organized an on-site registration for the Aeta communities in Porac, Pampanga, specifically in the barangays of Camias, Villa Maria, Inararo, Diaz, and Sapang Uwak.
On November 30, 2021, more than 100 individuals residing in remote areas from Nueva Ecija were registered to PhilSys. Representatives from PSA Nueva Ecija crossed rivers to register residents from Barangay San Agustin and Barangay Putlan in Carranglan.
