FILE PHOTO: A Philippine Statistics Authority employee presents a sample of the ID to be issued under the national ID system. Photo by Jam Sta. Rosa
MANILA, Philippines —The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act needs to be released as soon as possible since Republic Act No. 11934 or the SIM Registration Act is already in effect.
PhilSys or national ID could simplify SIM card registration, says CitizenWatch Philippines.
“The enforcement of the SIM Registration Act will also be facilitated by linking each SIM to a user’s PhilID making each call and SMS message traceable to the individual subscriber,” group convener Orlando Oxales said in a statement.
He cited January 2 government data showing 11,219,722 SIM cards registered. Oxales said registration would have been faster if the national ID had been used.
To recall, technical issues marred the first day of SIM registration in December, much to the dismay of citizens.
CitizenWatch Philippines believes the national ID system would accelerate the digital transformation of all public and private sectors, which is necessary for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Oxales said this ID would not just be any ordinary card because “[v]alidation of a person’s identity establishes trust in the fulfillment of all kinds of transactions and opens up opportunities to participate in the fast-growing digital ecosystem successfully.”
Referring to the PhilSys site, the group said some benefits of an active national ID system include making services more accessible, promoting ease of doing business, enhancing the integrity of services, reducing fraud, and enabling and promoting participation in digital government and the digital economy, among others.
CitizenWatch Philippines believes that government transactions will be streamlined by implementing the national ID system.
“We save time and effort because we would no longer need multiple government IDs to show proof of identity and transactions will be faster.” Oxales said.
Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act was signed into law by former President Rodrigo Duterte on August 6, 2018, to establish a single national identification system for Filipinos.
The government has struggled to distribute the national ID, with the Philippine Statistic Authority issuing the electronic version on paper as a temporary fix due to issues in producing the physical, plastic cards.
According to the PhilSys website,10 million electronic national IDs were already printed and distributed as of December 2022.
RELATED STORIES
Time to act: Marcos orders PSA to rush digital printing of National IDs
As millions wait for their Nat’l IDs, some get 2 or more