Pilot test registration for PhilSys starts

September 2, 2019

An eight-month pilot test registration involving a small number of individuals from the National Capital Region (NCR) for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) started Monday.

The test registration includes select Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) beneficiaries and employees of PSA and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. 

“The PSA sees the utmost importance for the PhilSys to first undergo a series of pilot testing before finally launching it to the public. We want to ensure that the processes are efficient, the systems are fully functional, and all information within the system are secure,” Undersecretary Dennis Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar, said.

PhilSys, which aims to provide a valid proof of identity for all citizens and resident aliens as a means of simplifying public and private transactions, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on August 2018 in line with the government’s drive to cut red tape.

The pilot test registration will run from September until June 2020.

The first part will involve biometric and demographic capturing processes.

''Once the system is stable, operations will expand to cover select groups from nearby regions, Regions III and IV-A, based on different geographical typologies,'' the PSA said.

Set to begin on May 2020, the PSA will extend the pilot registration process to test the end-to-end system which essentially involves deduplication, generation of unique PhilSys Numbers (PSN), and card printing and issuance.

Registration will be scaled-up and open to the public by July 2020. Overseas Filipinos are targeted to be registered in 2021. DMS