DILG renews call for LGUs to boost campaign for National ID registration

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has renewed the call for local government units (LGUs) to enjoin more of its constituents to register for their Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) cards.

This is in line with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s earlier directive to hasten the printing and distribution of national IDs, noting its crucial role in economic recovery.

READ: Marcos orders NEDA: Speed up distribution of national ID

“We again call on LGUs, especially the barangays, to extend their full support to the President and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in the National ID campaign,” DILG chief Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday.

He then reiterated the role of LGUs in explaining to their constituents the importance of acquiring a national ID “for easier validation and authentication of identity in their transactions with government offices, banks, and other private entities.”

“Kailangang masigasig ang mga LGUs at mga barangays sa kampanyang ito dahil gusto nating ang lahat ay magkaroon ng maayos na pagkakakilanlan para na rin mabilis silang maasikaso at makatanggap ng mga serbisyo ng gobyerno at ng mga pribadong opisina,” Abalos added.

(LGUs need to actively campaign for all their constituents to have an official proof of identity, which can help ease their transactions with both government and private offices.)

He suggested that LGUs disseminate printed and electronic materials, make roving announcements, and share updates from the official PhilSys social media pages to augment the National ID campaign.

The government, according to Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address last July 25, is targeting the release of 30 million physical and 20 million digital IDs before the end of the year.

READ: Gov’t must digitize, make services more accessible – Bongbong Marcos

In December 2021, the PSA said about 50 million Filipinos have signed up for their PhilSys cards, but only 14.2 million cards have been distributed as of June this year.

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