National ID mass registration set to begin next year

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said yesterday that the mass registration for the nationwide identification system is expected to begin next year.

Following the approval of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) implementation plan, the NEDA said in a statement that its roll out is still on schedule and will be implemented in four phases.

Last February, the PhilSys Policy and Coordination Council adopted the project’s execution — from procurement of technology to issuing actual IDs.

“We are on-track as regards the rollout of PhilSys,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said. “We hope to open up registration to targeted communities and release the first batch of IDs late this year.”

“By 2020, we expect the registration system to be more established allowing for more Filipinos to avail of the service,” he added.

Under the plan, the Phase 1 (January to December 2019) will involve procurement, testing of core technology infrastructure, organizational development of the PhilSys Registry Office (PRO), and launch of target registration.

The second phase (January to June 2020) will entail the development and full operationalization of core technology infrastructure, development of a mass registration ecosystem, use case development, and registration of pre-registered persons.

Its phase three (July 2020 to June 2022) will undertake mass registration of 110 million Filipinos and resident aliens, including overseas Filipinos.

The the final phase (July 2022 to December 2022) will involve issuing of PhilSys Numbers (PSNs) to newborns.

National Statistician Lisa Grace S. Bersales said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), an attached agency of NEDA, has been undergoing workshops since January on strategic planning as well as procurement.

The PSA had already successfully created the PRO in November 2018, following the publication of the PhilSys Act Implementing Rules and Regulations in October 2018.

The PRO is the PSA office tasked to implement the PhilSys.

The PhilSys provides for a national identification system that seeks to unify all government IDs into one. It will provide identification to both citizens and resident aliens of the country to facilitate public and private transactions.

Pernia mentioned that despite the numerous IDs

issued by the Philippine government, 14 percent of Filipinos are still denied of government and financial services due to lack of proper identification documents.

“Having one national ID will strengthen financial inclusion by reducing the cost of transactions through easier authentication procedures. This way, the marginalized will have easier, faster access to public programs,” he added.

The PhilSys Act was signed into law last August 6, 2018, an historic accomplishment of the Legislative Agenda under Chapter 5 of the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, titled, Ensuring People-Centered, Clean, and Efficient Governance.

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