ID SAMPLE A Philippine Statistics Authority employee presents at the House a sample of the ID to be issued under the national ID system. —JAM STA. ROSA
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday appealed to Filipinos to give the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) a chance, claiming it would make transactions “more efficient.”
He made the appeal in a pre-recorded message during a PhilSys ceremonial event.
“As we pursue this long-overdue project, I ask every Filipino to give Philysys a chance so that we may maximize the advantages of a universal and secure database that will make transactions more efficient and our lives more convenient,” he said.
For those who will opt to register, Duterte reminded them that they should still observe strict health protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19.
He also assured that PhilSys will “uphold the privacy of all personal information.”
In January, Duterte registered himself on the PhilSys and received his national ID by March.
The pre-registration process for the national ID system started last October, covering around 5 million Filipinos from 32 provinces, with low-income households as initial targets.
In December, the President approved the P3.52-billion additional budget for the implementation of the national ID system for 2021.
The additional funds will be used to register 20 million more individuals, on top of the 50 million target registration.
Signed by Duterte in August 2018, the PhilSys Act or Republic Act No. 11055 seeks to harmonize and integrate several government IDs by establishing a single national identification system for all citizens and resident aliens through the collection of basic personal information and biometric data.