The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said it continues to scale up its efforts to deliver Philippine Identification (PhilID) cards to millions of Filipinos and enable access to services through both the physical and soon-to-be launched mobile application.
PSA said its 17 regional directors have agreed to assist the Philippine Postal Corporation in delivering PhilIDs to registrants in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).
The initiative—for which the operational guidelines are currently being crafted—supports the recent milestones PSA has achieved in both Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) registration and card printing and delivery.
“The PSA salutes the regional directors who signified their support in ensuring that more Filipinos can have a valid proof of identity that will allow them to access essential government and financial services. Their cooperation will boost efforts to deliver cards to the millions of Filipinos currently registered to PhilSys, especially those residing in far-flung areas,” PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa said in a statement on Friday, April 1.
As of March 16, at least 60 million Filipinos have registered to PhilSys.
“Though PhilSys was initially designed as a four-year implementation plan, the PSA was able to speed up the registration of almost half of the population since it started its operations in 2020. Two years on, the PSA continues to find better ways to increase the back-end capacity to accommodate the millions of Filipinos currently registered to PhilSys,” Assistant Secretary Rosalinda P. Bautista, Deputy National Statistician of the PhilSys Registry Office (PRO), said.
PSA assured that all demographic and biometric information undergo stringent back-end processes—authentication, virus scan, and identity verification.
These processes are in place to ensure that each registrant’s data is unique and secure, it added.
Meanwhile, PSA said that registrants should stay tuned for the launch of the PhilSys mobile app this year.
Ahead of the actual PhilID card, registrants may already use the digital version of the card in various online and offline transactions
As more than 70 percent of registrants submitted mobile numbers, PSA said this presents the potential for more PhilSys registrants to utilize the mobile app once launched.
Through the PhilSys mobile app, transactions will be made more convenient and contactless, helping the Philippines transition into an inclusive, digital society, it added.