Step 1 of National ID system pre-registration going smoothly: DILG

October 19, 2020

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday said the Step 1 or pre-registration for the National ID system pre-registration is going smoothly in the 32 priority provinces.

Interior Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said the pre-registration, which began Monday last week, is a collaboration of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and local government units to visit around five million Filipino households from 32 priority provinces with low COVID-19 cases.

Mandated under Republic Act 11055 enacted in 2018, the National ID program aims to replace over 46 different government IDs and provide convenience to the transacting public.

The government sees the National ID as a tool to open bank accounts and to digitally transact as a cashless payment system.

The registration process involves two stages of pre-registration and registration proper, which will both follow health protocols like social distancing  to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.

For this year, the pre-registration/1st Step will be held from October 12 to December 30, while the registration proper/Step 2 will run from November 12 to December 30.

Malaya said coordination with LGUs and the preparatory activities for the expansion of the program on a wider scale next year in the other provinces are ongoing.

He added that Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Bulacan, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Masbate, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Compostela Valley and Tawi-Tawi have been prioritized in the rollout of the PhilSys pre-registration.

Malaya said said some 119 local government units (LGUs) have signed memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for the orderly roll-out of the program.

Another 216 completed coordination with the PSA and are set to sign the MOAs this week in compliance with a DILG memorandum on the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).

“It’s imperative to have the backing of LGUs to provide the necessary preparations and adherence to the minimum health protocols as teams from the PSA conduct their data collection from the identified low-income household heads within their respective jurisdictions,” he said.

Under the MOAs with the PSA, the local government units are expected to coordinate municipal and barangay-level meetings for briefings and discussions on PhilSys operations, identify locations for the registration centers, waiting areas, and temporary storage facilities, among others.

LGUs are also responsible for mobilizing all required resources for the pre-registration and registration activities such as registration area, electrical supply, storage areas of the registration kits, physical security, and crowd control, if necessary.

Local government units will also provide logistical support to the registration process such as lending of back-up vehicles, as well as issuance of a clearance to PhilSys registration teams to allow them access to all barangays.

Malaya said for the government, the ID and the information it holds can cut red tape encountered in programs like cash transfers where the goal is to make it easier to track and distribute aid to beneficiaries. Ella Dionisio/DMS