On 24 May 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) publicly announced achieving a critical milestone for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). As of 21 May 2021, 10,092,022 Filipino registrants successfully completed Step 2 Registration, a process that commenced in January 2021.
Following Step 2 Registration, and as a part of Step 3 Registration, 0.1 million physical Philippine ID (PhilID) cards and unique PhilSys Numbers (PSNs) have been delivered at the chosen addresses of successful Step 2 registrants (as of 15 May 2021).
PhilSys implementation and the issuance of PhilID cards and PSNs are being carried out in three steps:
Step 1
This stage involves collecting demographic information. Initially, the PSA’s data collectors conducted house-to-house visits to collect demographic data, resulting in nearly 34 million people completing Step 1 Registration. As of 17 May 2021, an additional 1 million+ Filippinos submitted their demographic details through an online portal, launched on 30 April 2021, to minimise health and safety risks of registrants. Step 1 also set up in-person appointments for Step 2 Registration.
Step 2
This step, which requires individuals to visit their designated local registration centre, captures each registrant’s biometric information (including iris and fingerprint scans and a front-facing photograph), and validates supporting documents.Step 3
This final step involves printing, delivery, and issuance of Philippine Identification (PhilID) cards and unique PhilSys Numbers (PSNs) to successful Step 2 registrants through the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost).Steps 1, 2, and 3 of registration are ongoing and on track to meet the government’s target of fully registering 50-70 million Filipinos this year by issuing their PhilID cards and PSNs. This is in addition to implementing three use cases for PhilSys which include ensuring the efficient and effective reach of emergency subsidies, robust financial inclusion, and enabling efficient vaccination coverage for the general population.
On 28 August 2019, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between IIIT Bangalore and the PSA to adopt MOSIP, to implement PhilSys, a foundational national ID system for all citizens of the Philippines and qualified foreign residents. The Understanding laid out the framework of cooperation between the signatories on the transfer of code, documentation and knowledge, and support in adopting the platform and helping the PSA build capacity to implement PhilSys.
As an enabling partner to the PSA, MOSIP has helped resolve technical glitches and ramp up Steps 1 and 2 of Registration production. In particular, MOSIP kept pace with the demand to help ramp up the Step 2 Registration processes in line with the PSA’s goals. This was done while providing additional round-the-clock support to ensure smooth implementation, data security, privacy, and non-duplication, among other factors.
Both the PSN and PhilID card can be used as valid proof of identity in government and private transactions. This includes transactions in banks, government hospitals, health centres, and other institutions.
MOSIP is committed to continue helping the PSA ensure that no individual is left out even while ensuring financial inclusion.
*Picture and individual inset graphics courtesy - PSA.
