The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is on track to achieve the National ID registration target of 50 million by the of the year, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua said the PSA has completed 43.2 million registrations to step one of National ID, or Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), as of Oct. 8.

Chua added that the PSA was also able to complete 35.9 million step two registrations.

Step one is the capture of demographics, while step two is the capture of biometrics.

“Our target by the end of the year is 50 million. We are confident that we will achieve that despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Chua said during Senate deliberations on the NEDA’s proposed 2022 budget.

In addition, Chua said the PSA opened 5.6 million bank accounts for those low income with no bank accounts.

“My target for the end of the year is 100 percent financial inclusion at the family level. That means we will have to open around eight million total bank accounts,” the NEDA chief said.

Last Oct 11, Deputy National Statistician Rosalinda P. Bautista said the PSA also opened institutional registration for national ID to accommodate Filipinos who are working in the private and public sector, or residing in subdivisions.

Bautista said government agencies, homeowners’ associations, exclusive residences, non-government organizations, and private companies can coordinate with the PSA regarding the PhilSys registration.

Meanwhile, SM Supermalls has started to accept the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card in its SM Business Center services such as foreign currency exchange, remittance services, and credit card transactions.

SM Supermalls also enjoined its retail partner affiliates and tenants to accept the card as sufficient proof of identity.

“The action of SM Groups to accept the PhilID as a valid ID for a financial service they offer is a big leap for PhilSys, as this will achieve our goal of providing easier, safer, and more secure access to services to the public,” National Statistician Dennis S. Mapa said.

“As we continue to work in solidarity with SM Prime Holdings, we at the PSA, commit to giving Filipinos more convenient access to private and public transactions,” he added.

Moreover, SM Supermalls has opened PhilSys step two registration in select branches.

Registrants may set an appointment in any of SM Supermalls branches across Metro Manila, Luzon, and the Visayas via completing the step one registration at the official PhilSys web portal and booking a schedule at the available locations.