PSA: 60% of PhilSys IDs printed

The Philippine Statistics Authority completed printing more than 60% of the national identification cards (IDs), PSA Deputy National Statistician Fred Sollesta said Friday.

According to Sollesta, as of March 15, 54 million physical copies of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) IDs were printed. Of the printed IDs, 50 million were dispatched, while 45 million ePhilIDs were issued.

At least 85 million Filipinos have so far registered for the PhilSys IDs.

“When we started the registration in 2021, napakataas ng ating turnout sa registration, umabot siya ng 300,000 to 400,000 per day. Nakaabot tayo ng 53 million registration in 2021 alone,” Sollesta said in a public briefing.

(When we started the registration in 2021, we had a 300,000 to 400,000 daily turnout. That resulted in 53 million registrants in 2021 alone.)

“Nagkaroon na tayo ng bottleneck pero it is expected na with our rate of printing, matapos natin ito maybe this year, 2024,” he said.

(We had a bottleneck on the printing but we’re expecting to finish it by 2024.)

Sollesta added: “Majority na tayo, mga 60% plus na tayo sa printing ng physical card.”

(We’re at the majority of the printing, over 60%.)

The PSA, in September 2023, said it is targeting the cumulative registration of 101 million Filipinos for the national ID system by 2024.

Meanwhile, the agency warned the public against social media posts claiming that the agency is offering P5,000 cash assistance to PhilSys ID holders.

“Yung PSA, naglabas ng advisory bilang babala sa ating publiko na mag-ingat sa mga ganun na kumakalat na maling impormasyon. Iwasan ang pag-click kung may suspicious link dun at magbibigay ng personal na impormasyon kapalit ng pera,” said Sollesta.

(We issued an advisory against the misinformation circulating on social media. We advise the public to refrain from clicking suspicious links that require personal information in exchange for cash.)

He also clarified that national IDs may be used to apply for government financial assistance, but the acceptance would still depend on the qualifications of each government office.

Filipinos can still register for a national ID at fixed registration centers nationwide, which are open to walk-in applicants. — DVM, GMA Integrated News