A graphic representation of the national ID. Art by Ed Lustan
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) were urged Thursday to accelerate the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) project.
Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte made the call after receiving complaints over the delays in the production and distribution of the physical PhilSys cards, noting that some have been waiting for more than six months to have their cards delivered.
“We urge the BSP and PSA to come up with a good catch-up plan to speed up the implementation of this vital project,” Duterte said in a statement.
According to Duterte, the issuance of PhilSys cards can assist the government in determining those who need financial aid the most during times of crisis by weeding out “false” beneficiaries from social protection programs.
“Accelerating the implementation of the national ID system will make the delivery of financial assistance swift and efficient. Aside from that, a well-maintained national ID system will help the government clean up its database of beneficiaries of social protection programs, such as the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program),” Duterte said.
“Even those who dupe the system by getting senior citizen ID cards even though they are not yet qualified to avail of the benefits for seniors will be weeded out,” he added.
Citing a 2021 report of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the BSP, Duterte said that the BSP and its contractor tasked to deliver the physical PhilSys cards could not meet their production targets, causing delays in the project.
READ: Management issues hound P3.48-billion PhilSys cards
Duterte said a PSA plan to issue printable versions of the national ID with a corresponding mobile ID that can be accessed through the PhilSys application as a step in fast-tracking the full implementation of the project.
However, the congressman urged PSA to continue printing the physical ID cards, considering that P4.84 billion has been appropriated for the PhilSys project under the 2022 national budget.
It can be recalled that former President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law the Republic Act 11055 or the PhilSys Act in August 2018. – Christine Annie Asistio, INQUIRER.net intern