Biometric collection for national ID kicks off in Laguna

MANILA, Philippines — The collection of biometric data, including a photo, an iris scan and fingerprints, will start on Monday for national ID applicants in Laguna province, according to national statistician Claire Dennis Mapa.

Biometric collection is the next step in the ongoing registration for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), after 10.05 million people in 32 pilot provinces finished the first step of providing demographic information as of Dec. 28, 2020.

This was above the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) year-end target of 9 million Filipinos.

Mapa, who heads the PSA, told the Inquirer last week that the first registration step would be expanded beyond the initial 32 provinces starting Jan. 18.

The pilot provinces, which had fewer COVID-19 cases and hosted most of the poorest families in the country, were Albay, Antique, Bataan, Batangas, Bohol, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Capiz, Cavite, Cebu, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Isabela, La Union, Laguna, Leyte, Masbate, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Rizal, Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi and Zambales.

In Metro Manila, national ID registration will begin on Jan. 18, Mapa said.

In a radio interview on Saturday, Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the second registration step would be done while observing strict social distancing and minimum health standards to avoid COVID-19 from further spreading, citing that fingerprinting, for instance, would involve touching an equipment.

According to Chua, concurrent chair of the PSA board, some of those who will undergo the second step have been provided with a scheduled appointment indicating the date and time their biometric data will be collected, while others were asked to provide the PSA with a phone number so they can be sent a text about their schedule.

The third step will be the issuance of a PhilSys number as well as the physical ID also starting this year.

The registration process was divided into three steps to ensure physical distancing while observing safety health measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.