BACOLOD City – Have you registered already? Registration for the national identification (ID) system is ongoing from Mondays to Saturdays in this city.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Negros Occidental is currently accommodating those 15 years old and above, according to Luis Gonzales, provincial chief statistical specialist.
The registration is being conducted at the Rizal Elementary School here.
The ongoing registration is already the Step 2 of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) registration process.
“Step 2 is for the validation of supporting documents and capturing of biometric information of registrants,” Gonzales said.
Step 1 – a house-to-house interview to gather demographic data – was conducted last year.
An appointment slip for Step 2 was then issued to each interviewee.
Gonzales said for Step 1 in Bacolod, the PSA prioritized members of low-income families included in the list provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“In our Step 1, we already catered even to small children (below 15 years old),” Gonzales added.
In the last quarter of 2020, PSA said there were over 8.4 million Filipinos who completed Step 1.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia, together with some city officials, registered with the Step 2 last week.
“Our process right now is to prioritize those who registered last year but there are instances that they are not able to come, which is why we also cater to walk-in registrants,” said Gonzales.
Republic Act 11055, or the “Philippine Identification System Act,” aims to establish a single national identification system for all citizens and resident aliens in the Philippines.
Aside from providing a valid proof of identity, establishing a single PhilSys would help transform and streamline the delivery of services, resulting to easier access to and application for social welfare programs and benefits from the government.
Promoting ease of doing business, enhancing the integrity of services and reducing fraud, enabling and promoting participation and trust in digital government and the digital economy, and empowering Filipinos with greater control over their personal data are also among the objectives of the PhilSys.
On Jan. 4, 2021, the PSA started a gradual and small-scale registration in selected provinces in the country. In Bacolod City, the Step 2 registration kicked off on Feb. 23, 2021.
The PSA targets to register majority of the Filipinos by the end of 2022./PN
