OVER 100,000 Filipinos will soon be receiving their National IDs, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa told the BusinessMirror that 109,614 Philsys cards are being distributed by the Philippine Postal Corp. (PHLPost).
Last week, the PSA already began issuing PhilSys Number (PSN) and National ID cards to about 40,000 registrants who have successfully undergone the Step 1 Registrations and Step 2 Registrations.
“I enjoin the government and private sector to actively participate in the PhilSys implementation by honoring and accepting the PhilID as sufficient, valid proof of identity in line with the law, without the need to present any other ID,” Mapa said in a statement.
Mapa said that as of May 15, the PSA has registered a total of 34.8 million people from assisted house-to-house and online registrations. For Step 2 registrants, around 8.7 million Filipinos have completed the process.
The online Step 1 Registration is currently in its pilot phase with the intention of allowing more Filipinos to register while minimizing health and safety risks.
This involves the collection of the registrant’s demographic information and setting of appointment for Step 2 Registration through the official PhilSys online portal.
PSA said digital authentication and Electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) using fingerprint, iris, facial photograph, and SMS-based One Time Passwords or demographic verification, will be launched by PSA toward the end of 2021.
These PhilSys-enabled services, PSA said, will allow the identity to be verified even without the need for a physical PhilID.
PhilSys aims to give Filipinos easier and faster access to financial, social protection, health, education, and other government services by providing them with valid proof of identity.
Establishments which refuse to accept the PhilID as valid proof of identity will be subject to a fine of an appropriate amount in compliance with Section 19 or RA No. 11055.
“Achieving our vision of a digital ecosystem with PhilSys cannot be done by the PSA alone. We need the cooperation of all to realize our financial inclusion and social protection goals―from the PhilSys registrants to government agencies, financial institutions, and businesses,” Mapa said.
“Many Filipinos, especially the poor and marginalized, are unable to access basic economic and social services for lacking a ‘valid ID’. With the cooperation of various entities, the PhilSys, through the PhilID, will finally make transactions easier for them,” he added.
In line with the government’s commitment to data protection, privacy-by-design and security of the PhilSys, the permanent 12-digit PSN is microprinted on the back face of a registered person’s PhilID, to prevent it from being easily seen or captured.
A 16-digit PhilID Card Number (PCN)―essentially a public version of the PSN―is printed conspicuously on the front face of the card and is intended to be used for authentication purposes.
Registered persons are advised only to use their PCN for transactions and not their PSN. Similarly, relying parties should not request or capture the PSN.
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