ILOILO City — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Western Visayas is now shifting its priority from simply registering residents for the National ID to ensuring the identification system becomes an essential tool in everyday transactions after more than 4.4 million people — or over 91 percent of the region’s population — have already enrolled.
As of July 25, 2026, a total of 4,425,419 residents in Western Visayas had successfully registered under the National Identification System, equivalent to more than 91 percent of the region’s projected population based on the 2024 Census of Population, according to the PSA.
PSA Western Visayas Registration Officer III Jared Xerxes Barile said the agency is now intensifying efforts to expand the use of the National ID through the National ID Authentication Services (NIDAS), which is designed to make identity verification faster, more secure, and more convenient across government and digital platforms.
“We are not only focused on registration; our goal is to ensure that the national ID becomes widely used by the public,” Barile stated.
“The integration of the National ID Authentication Services (NIDAS) into your systems will enhance the ease, security, and convenience of future transactions,” he added.
Barile said government agencies are now required to integrate NIDAS into their identification systems, databases, and digital platforms to promote interoperability and seamless public service delivery.
“While we may not be there just yet, this integration is the ultimate objective of our government,” Barile emphasized, highlighting the importance of a unified national identity framework.
Among the provinces, Iloilo recorded the highest registration rate at 97.1 percent, followed by Antique (92.1%), Aklan (90.2%), Capiz (89.3%), and Guimaras (88.3%).
The National ID program aims to provide Filipinos and resident aliens with a secure and reliable proof of identity, allowing faster verification for both government and private-sector transactions, particularly in digital services.
The PSA reported that nearly 1.9 million paper-format National IDs have already been issued in the region, while around 3.2 million polycarbonate National ID cards have likewise been distributed.
Barile assured holders of the paper National ID that they will eventually receive the more durable and secure polycarbonate version once card-printing operations normalize.
The PSA said agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) have already adopted the National ID system, with wider NIDAS integration expected to improve service delivery and strengthen public confidence in digital transactions.
The agency also encouraged residents to maximize new digital services, including the PSA e-Verification Mobile App, which enables users to verify National ID and civil registration records electronically.
With Western Visayas now nearing full registration, the PSA continues to urge the remaining residents to enroll, saying the National ID will play a key role in building a more secure, efficient, and fully interconnected government identification system./PN
