PSA urges acceptance of National ID; more agencies enjoin support

August 12, 2021 0 Comments

As the agency leading the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) implementation, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) calls on government bodies and private entities to accept the national ID or the Philippine Identification (PhilID) cards in transactions in line with Republic Act No. 11055 otherwise known as the PhilSys Act.

“The PSA, together with other entities involved in the success of the PhilSys program, urges agencies and establishments to make transacting easier and safer for our fellow Filipinos by accepting their PhilID as a valid proof of identity. This will bring us closer to our goal of achieving a digital economy and society for the Philippines,” said PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa, Ph.D., National Statistician and Civil Registrar General.

With PSA gradually ramping up its efforts for the first two steps of the PhilSys Registration, Undersecretary Mapa underscores the importance of accepting the PhilID as more Filipinos queue to register.

The PSA released an advisory on 29 May 2021 calling on the public acceptance of the national ID as valid proof of identity in government and private transactions.

In response to this, partners of the PhilSys program have extended their support for the PhilID. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) released separate memoranda encouraging the use of PhilID in official transactions under their agencies.

DILG’s memorandum also emphasized the significance of the PhilID in its role to streamline information and transactions, whether in government or private establishments, by providing Filipinos a single proof of identification that no longer requires any other supporting document.

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost), PSA’s partner in delivering the physical PhilID cards, also released Circular No. 21-51, dated 22 June 2021, stating that the PhilID may already be used as a valid identification document in all Post Office transactions.

Further, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has released a similar advisory endorsing the PhilID in passport applications and other consular service-related transactions.

According to Republic Act No. 11055 otherwise known as the PhilSys Act, the PhilID card shall serve as the official government-issued identification document of cardholders in dealing with all national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), government financial institutions (GFIs), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and all private sector entities. PhilID shall be accepted, subject to proper authentication, as a sufficient proof of identity.

Moreover, under Section 19 of the Act, any person or entity who will refuse to accept or recognize the PhilID or PhilSys Number (PSN) as the only official identification of the holder, without just and sufficient cause, shall be fined an amount equivalent to PhP 500,000.00.

PhilSys allows both offline and online means of authenticating one’s identity in accordance with Section 5 of the Act and the Section 12 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Act. To verify the authenticity of PhilIDs, relying parties of PhilSys may perform physical inspections based on the covert security features of the ID and scanning of the QR code. Find out more about the security features of the PhilID here.

For online authentication, PSA aims to roll out the PhilID QR Code Verification System later this year, which enables users to verify the authenticity of the data encoded in the QR code of PhilIDs.

Meanwhile, PSA is also set to launch the mobile PhilID, an alternative version of the physical PhilID card, which aims to accelerate the use of the PhilSys. This is in line with the goal of PhilSys to propel the country to a fully digital economy and society.

For the latest on PhilSys, visit the official PhilSys website (www.psa.gov.ph/philsys) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/PSAPhilSysOfficial/). You may also reach the PhilSys Registry Office via hotline number 1388 or e-mail at info@philsys.gov.ph. For the online Step 1 Registration, kindly go to https://register.philsys.gov.ph.

PhilSys Registry Office