President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the speeding up of the printing and distribution of national ID cards so Filipinos can start using it by next year.
In a recent meeting, Marcos told Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) that he intends to make the national ID cards be available for use by early 2023.
"Sa ating pagpupulong kasama si NEDA Director-General Arsenio Balisacan, tinalakay kung paano mapapabilis ang pag-imprenta at distribusyon ng National ID cards upang magamit na ng ating mga kababayan simula sa unang bahagi ng taong 2023 (In our meeting with NEDA Director-General Arsenio Balisacan, we discussed how to speed up the printing and distribution of National ID cards so our fellowmen can finally use them starting in the early part of 2023," the President said in a Facebook post on Thursday, July 14.
The meeting was presided over by Marcos virtually on Wednesday, July 13, while he was in isolation.
It was also attended by Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez and Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Maria Zenaida Angping.
In a press briefing, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said the distribution of the national IDs under the National ID System is part of the country's economic recovery effort.
"So, necessary kasi iyong National ID doon, essential siya lalung-lalo na doon sa banking systems at pagtatayo ng maliliit na negosyo or kahit anumang negosyo. So, sa credit system mahalaga din po iyong National ID System (The National ID is necessary under that goal, it is essential especially in banking systems, creating small businesses or any business. So, the National ID System is also very important in credit system)," Angeles said.