Amid delays in the rollout of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) ID, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said that 10 million electronic Philippine ID have been issued to Filipinos.
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Dennis S. Mapa said a total of 10,126,352 ePhilIDs have been claimed at PhilSys registration centers nationwide as of Dec. 19, 2022.
ePhilIDs is the digital version of the PhilID printed on a piece of paper, but has the same validity and functionality as the physical card, according to the PSA.
“We launched the ePhilID just two months ago. Reaching the 10 million mark this fast in the implementation is, indeed, a major milestone,” Mapa said in a statement.
“This only shows how ready we Filipinos are for PhilSys as a digital ID. We are overwhelmed and grateful for the huge demand for the ePhilIDs,” he added.
Earlier, President Marcos ordered the PSA to expedite the printing of the digital version of the national ID as the agency struggles to meet its target in the distribution of physical cards.
“Let us print out as much as we can, and then let’s issue the physical ID as soon as we can,” Marcos said, referring to the ePhilID.
Mapa assured there is an allocated physical card for each person registered to PhilSys.
Those who want to claim their ePhilID at PhilSys registration centers will still receive their physical card which will be delivered to the address they used upon their Step 2 registration, Mapa said.
“Those who registered with PhilSys will receive the PhilID ID card. Even if they get the ePhiID, they will still receive the PhilID card,” Mapa said.
PSA chief assured the public that the printing and delivery of the PhilID card are continuous in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and Philippine Postal Corp.
The ePhilID is a part of the PSA’s proactive strategy to allow the immediate use of PhilSys as a valid proof of identity and age, subject to authentication.
Designed to have the same functionality and validity as the physical card, the ePhilID is a government-issued ID and is being accepted by government agencies and private establishments in transactions requiring proof of identity or age.
“From applying for government services to opening of bank account, we can use our ePhilID. The PSA, and other government agency and the private sector partners are ready to accept the ePhilID,” Mapa said.