Delivery riders seen to benefit from national ID, says firm

MANILA, Philippines – Government efforts to provide delivery riders with PhilSys IDs (PhilIDs) have gained the support of one of the country's major transport and delivery companies.

Grab Philippines on Friday said it will work with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to ensure that all their delivery riders secure their national IDs so they can take advantage of the many benefits such official document provides.

”The company wants to do its part to help the government in its national ID registration drive as it recognizes how this can benefit our delivery-partners,” said Grab Philippines Director for Public Affairs Atty. Sherielysse Bonifacio.

“The national IDs provide our delivery-partners with more than just a reliable means of identification; it will also make it easier for them to avail of government services and benefits,” Bonifacio added.

The DTI together with the PSA launched earlier this week the Institutional PhilSys Registration of Delivery-Riders, a program that Deputy National Statistician Fred Sollesta said “is aligned with PSA’s mission to prioritize the registration of beneficiaries of various government social protection program in support to this administration’s eight-point economic agenda that aims to promote business-friendly environment, boost competitiveness and address poverty and equality.”

“To realize the full potential of PhilSys, I highly encourage our partners to also integrate with Philsys and take advantage of the various authentication services that PSA will be developing. This will allow our delivery riders to enjoy the conveniences and benefits of having a digital ID,” Sollesta added.

For her part, DTI Assistant Secretary Mary Jean Pacheco explained that the roll out of the national ID system is one of the critical components in the DTI’s e-commerce roadmap.

Included among the strategies in the DTI e-commerce roadmap is the hastening of e-government initiatives across the e-commerce system. The two priorities listed under the strategy are to “promote streamlining and automation in government and a pleasant user experience on online public services” and to “fast-track the implementation of the Philippine Identification System.”

Bonifacio stressed that “as the developer of a super app — a platform used by commuters, consumers and e-commerce merchants — Grab knows firsthand how technology and innovation can help contribute to the growth of the Philippine digital economy, which is why we are bullish about the future.”

Data from the PSA shows that as of March 31, 77.97 million Filipinos have already registered for the PhilIDs. The figure represents 84.7% of PSA’s target.