Philippine National ID: What, why, and how?

In August 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Republic Act No. 11055, otherwise known as the Philippine Identification System Act (PhilSys Act), which mandates the government to create a single identification card for all citizens and resident aliens of the Philippines.

The law intends to speed up the delivery of government services and lessen cases of fraudulent transactions. It also aims to eliminate the need for multiple forms of identification when transacting with the government and the private sector, such as banks that usually require two valid IDs to open an account.

Initially, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) started a mass registration in October last year which was exclusive among low-income Filipinos in 664 cities and municipalities in 32 provinces which are identified as low-risk areas for COVID 19. They were prioritized because most of these Filipinos don’t have bank accounts as they don’t have enough documents as proof of their identity.

The PSA conducted house-to-house visits to collect demographic data of their targeted nine million registrants that are composed of at least five million low-income household heads. But if you were not included in the mass registration and you wish to register for the PhilSys ID, don’t worry because the PSA opened the registration for all Filipinos and resident aliens last April!

You may do so by following these steps:

Step 1:  Register on the PhilSys ID online portal, encode your personal information such as date and place of birth, blood type, address, contact details, etc. and schedule an appointment.

Step 2: Show up on your scheduled appointment to validate yoursupporting documents and have your biometrics taken which includes fingerprint scanning, iris scanning, and front-facing photographs.

Step 3: Wait for your physical ID to be delivered to your preferred address. It’s that simple!

Remember that the PhilSys ID is free of charge. The government can only charge fees if an individual will ask for a replacement. So be wary of fixers or any individuals who would ask you for payments or any extra costs.

Apart from going digital, PSA also partnered with various malls in the country and signed a memorandum of agreement with Robinsons Corporation and SM Supermalls to make the registration even more accessible. Registration sites will be set up in various Robinsons and SM malls for Filipinos to conveniently sign up.

Moreover, PSA also tied up with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Philippine Postal Corporation for the printing and door-to-door delivery of the PhilSys IDs.  As of June 14, PhilPost reported around 200,000 registrants have already received their PhilSys ID.

Having your own PhilSys ID will be of great help in registering for other government services and opening accounts in private establishments. So go ahead, register, schedule an appointment, and say goodbye to two IDs requirements for identity validation! You may visit the PSA PhilSys Facebook page to check the registration sites near you. 

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