PasigPass integrates with national ID for cleaner, data-driven governance
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Friday, Sept. 5, announced the integration of the PasigPass system with the national ID to create a more efficient and secure database, preventing people from using fake identities to access services meant for officially registered Pasigueños.
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, with other city officials, signs an agreement with the Philippine Statistics Authority to integrate PasigPass with the National ID. (Photo from Konsi Angelu De Leon)
The announcement was made following the ceremonial signing agreement of the local government with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) at the temporary Pasig City Hall.
It aims to stop individuals who, according to Sotto, were dishonest -- having invented names and faked addresses -- prompting the city to seek a fraud-proof solution to ensure that services are received by legitimate Pasigueños.
Sotto said the agreement will help ensure that PasigPass accounts are authentic through national ID verification and a “buhay ka ba talaga? (Are you really alive?)" test.
“Clean database. Ibig sabihin, mas gaganda ang serbisyo para sa mga totoong Pasigueño dahil mababawasan ang tumatanggap na nanloloko lang (It will also have a clean database, which means better services for real Pasigueños, as it will reduce the number of people who receive services by faking their identities),” he said.
Sotto added that it will be a big step towards more efficient data-driven governance.
“Ang malinis na PasigPass data ay magagamit din kasama ng iba pang inisiyatiba tungo sa isang SmartCity (The clean PasigPass data can also be used alongside other initiatives toward building a Smart City),” he added.
Residents without a national ID or who may have difficulty using PasigPass are advised to check the Facebook page of the Pasig Public Information Office (PIO).
The PasigPass was initially launched in October 2020, which is a QR code-based system, to intensify contact tracing efforts during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Eventually, the local government used the QR codes for other services, including its annual "Pamaskong Handog."