PSA urges parents to register children for national ID

MANILA – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Sunday stated that obtaining a national ID may eventually result in a more efficient enrollment process for children aged 5 and up.

According to Emily Pagador, officer-in-charge and assistant national statistician of the PSA’s Use Case Development and Management Service (UCDMS), this is one of the many benefits of getting children to register in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).

As of now, children aged 5 and up can register for a national ID in PSA registration hubs. However, they have to update their biometric information by the age of 14.

“Mas maganda po sana kung mai-register niyo na rin yung anak niyo kahit 5 years old na siya. Huwag na antayin na 14 years old kasi di natin masasabi kung kailan nila kakailanganin yung national ID (It’s better to register your kids even if they are 5 years old. Don’t wait until they are 14 years old because we can’t say when we will be needing the national ID),” Pagador said in an interview over DZBB.

The PSA will eventually incorporate and integrate the national ID into processes and databases of other government agencies, Pagador said.

“Mayroon kaming mga programa na eventually i-integrate natin yung ibang systems ng gobyerno. Makatulong ang national ID halimbawa sa enrollment ng bata. Maraming mga benepisyo ang national ID (We have a program that will eventually integrate this to other systems of government. The national ID can help, for example, with the enrollment of kids. The national ID has a lot of benefits),” she added.

Pagador stated that senior citizens are also urged to obtain their national IDs despite their age.

The PSA, she said, is conducting house-to-house registration for seniors and persons with disabilities who are not physically able to register in designated hubs.

“Mayroon naman po ginagawa na programa ang Philsys na pinupuntahan na rin minsan sa mga bahay-bahay lalo na kung may mga kababayan na di po makalabas because physically they are unable to (The PhilSys has a program where house-to-house visits are being conducted for those who are physically unable to),” she said.

She mentioned that PSA initiated house-to-house visits at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She also expressed confidence in their ability to issue 50 million PhilIDs by the end of 2022.

Of this number, 20 million will be digital IDs and 30 million will be physical IDs.

“Kakayanin naman po natin ‘yun. Piniprepare lang po namin yung iba pong detalye para ma-ensure na once na i-roll out itong ID, smooth po ang aming pagdeploy sa mga registration centers. Hindi po tayo magke-create ng mahabang pila para sa dun sa mga kababayan natin na excited magkaroon ng ID (We will be able to do it. We are just preparing other details to ensure that our deployment to registration centers will be smooth once these are IDs rolled out. We will not create long lines for our countrymen excited to receive their digital IDs),” she said.

A total of 72 million Filipinos have registered to PhilSys as of August 19.

The PSA has distributed a total of 15.3 million national IDs nationwide.

Earlier, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the PSA to issue 30 million PhilIDs by the end of 2022 and register 92 million of the country’s population in the PhilSys by mid-2023.

The Republic Act 11055 or the PhilSys Act stipulates that the PhilID shall be accepted and recognized for government and private transactions, and shall be considered as an official and sufficient valid proof of identity for all Filipino citizens and resident aliens.

According to RA 11055, the PSA is the implementing agency responsible for the overall planning, management, and administration of PhilSys, the government’s central platform for all Filipino citizens and resident aliens.