PSA: 79 million PhilIDs issued

MANILA, Philippines — Over 79 million physical and digital versions of the national ID have been issued by the government.

In a statement yesterday, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said 38,099,592 Philippine identification cards (PhilIDs) have been delivered, while 41,620,918 printed electronic PhilIDs or ePhilIDs have been issued as of Aug. 25.

The PSA is encouraging Filipinos to use their PhilIDs and ePhilIDs in accessing financial services.

It said those registered with the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) could use the PhilIDs in various transactions in financial institutions like opening basic deposit accounts.

PSA noted that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) recently cited the PhilSys colocation efforts for the 170 percent increase in the number of basic deposit accounts to 21.9 million in the first quarter, from 8.1 million in the same period last year.

The colocation efforts have enabled Filipinos, who previously did not have banking access, to open transaction accounts without initial deposit and maintaining balance after completing their PhilSys registration.

“As more registered persons receive their PhilID and ePhilID, we encourage them to use it in their transactions with financial institutions to gain access to financial services and products, that can open opportunities for them,” PSA Undersecretary Dennis Mapa said.

“One of the objectives of PhilSys is financial inclusion, and PSA will continue to work to achieve this. Our aim is for more of our countrymen to see the importance of PhilSys and how it can help them,” Mapa added.

The PSA is working with the BSP and Philippine Postal Corp. (PhlPost) to expedite the printing and delivery of PhilIDs to registered individuals.

It is also issuing ePhilIDs through plaza-type and house-to-house distribution. Registered individuals can also download the ePhilID through a secure link in the official text message from the PSA.

According to the PSA, the PhilIDs that were affected by the Manila Central Post Office fire last May have been replaced and turned over to the PhlPost for delivery.

To check the availability of ePhilIDs, individuals registered with the PhilSys can visit https://appt.philsys.gov.ph and set an appointment to claim it at any PhilSys registration center.