PSA Announces Registration for National ID Will Start on July 2020
During its pilot test registration on September 2, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that it will open the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) to the Filipino public by mid-2020.
“We are on track to have the system fully operational and to start the mass registration by mid-2020, and complete the enrollment of the population by mid-2022,” PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa said in a statement.
The aim of the PhilSys is to provide a valid proof of identity for all Filipinos and resident aliens, which will make access to government and private sector services simpler, quicker, and faster.
It will also eliminate the need to provide most other forms of identification when transacting with applications for eligibility, services, and access to (1) social welfare and benefits granted by the government; (2) passport and driver’s license; (3) tax-related transactions; (4) admission in schools and government hospitals; (5) opening of bank accounts; (6) registration and voting purposes; (7) transactions for employment purposes; and (8) cardholder’s criminal records and clearances.
PSA also shared details about its comprehensive course and strategic design for the implementation of the PhilSys nationwide.
According to PSA, it has already obtained this year one of the five major procurement blocks of the program — the system registration kits. Meanwhile, in the process of completion for PhilSys are the procurement of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), System Integrator (SI), and registration centers. PSA also established a partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the identification card production.
On September 2, PSA started administering its pilot test registration — this process will include the generation of unique PhilSys Numbers (PSN), card printing, and issuance.
The current pilot test group comprises of a controlled number of individuals from the National Capital Region (NCR). It includes beneficiaries from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as well as employees of PSA and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
“The PSA sees the utmost importance for the PhilSys to first undergo a series of pilot testing before finally launching it to the public. We want to ensure that the processes are efficient, the systems are fully functional, and all information within the system is secure,” Undersecretary Mapa added.
The pilot test and registration test is set to run from September 2019 to June 2020. Involving a biometric and demographic capturing processes and once stable, the system registry will extend to cover select groups from nearby regions, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
“We, at the PSA and our partners in PhilSys, take very seriously the responsibility to ensure the security and integrity of the personal data of Filipinos. The PhilSys is a highly technical and complex program. We are pushing with multiple pilot testing to continuously improve the system and level up its security features before launching it to the public,” Undersecretary Mapa said.
Reassuring concerns, he added that both the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and the PhilSys Act have strict regulations that rule over the circumstances of the data in the PhilSys registry.
Furthermore, PSA asserts that the Privacy-by-Design features of the system will add another layer of data defense as it ensures that PSN-holders have full control over the access and use of their information.
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) are the agencies PSA has officially tasked to directly mandate all operations regarding the protection of all data collected by the government.
