DSWD encourages 4Ps beneficiaries to sign up for nat'l ID to speed up delivery of social services
To enhance its delivery of social services, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is ramping up efforts to encourage beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to enroll in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).
DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications and spokesperson Romel Lopez on Monday, March 11 said the collaboration between the 4Ps National Program Management Office (NPMO) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) led to the implementation of this initiative.
“It would benefit both the DSWD and its clients as the features of the ID enable faster eligibility checks and digital payments, hence, providing better and multiple access points for beneficiaries to receive social assistance,” Lopez said.
As of Jan. 31, at least 4 million out of 24.4 million 4Ps individual members have registered with PhilSys.
However, only 1 million 4Ps members have been issued a PhilSys Card Number (PCN).
“The DSWD aims to significantly increase this number to ensure a smoother and more inclusive social assistance delivery system,” Lopez said.
Section 3 of Republic Act No. 11055 or the PhilSys Act envisions a future where Filipinos can utilize a single secure ID for government and private transactions, eliminating the need for multiple identification documents.
Lopez added that DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian issued a memorandum in January highlighting the registration of 4Ps household members and their children aged five and up.
“Notably, efforts are underway to extend registration to include children under five years old, pending approval of guidelines,” he said.
4Ps grantees and household-members who have previously enrolled with PSA prior to Feb. 1, 2024, are eligible to participate in the family development sessions equivalency.
However, they are required to undergo identity verification by means of a biometric authentication process utilizing the PhilSys Authentication Application.
This verification entails furnishing the PhilSys Card Number and undergoing a fingerprint scan.