The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) launched Monday the Philsys Institutional Registration with some provincial officials and employees as the first registrants.

Marcelino O. De Mesa, supervising statistical analyst at the PSA Bulacan, said on Tuesday the activity, dubbed “#DutyFirst Kapitolyo, Rehistrado”, aimed to make the registration for the national identification system more accessible for government employees.

He said the national ID can be used as a proof of identification for all transactions, whether in a government agency or private institution and can also be used outside the country.

“Ang inyong mga ID po ay idedeliver sa inyong mga address. Bukod dito, kikilalanin din po ang inyong mga national ID hindi lang dito sa Pilipinas kundi maging sa ibang bansa; ang sabi nga, ito ay ‘one ID for all transaction’ at ‘ease of doing business.’ Mas pinadali dahil po hindi na kailangan pa ng iba pang ID at supporting documents, iisang ID na lang sa bawat transaction, sa gobyerno man o sa pribadong institusyon (Your IDs will be delivered to your addresses. In addition, your national IDs will also be recognized not only here in the Philippines but also abroad. That is to say, it is ‘one ID for all transactions’ and ‘ease of doing business.’ It is simplified because there is no need for other IDs and supporting documents, just one ID for each transaction, whether in government or in private institution,” de Mesa said in an official social media post.

He added that PSA is coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) to assist the enlistment of their respective constituents with Philsys which includes pre-registration and actual registration processes.

Meanwhile, Governor Daniel Fernando expressed support to the objectives of the Philsys and said that having a national ID is a symbol of the people’s identity as Filipinos.

“Tayo po ay lubos na sumusuporta sa Philippine Identification System dahil sa pamamagitan nito, maaari nang makuha ng ating mga kababayan ang iba’t ibang serbisyo mula sa gobyerno o sa pribadong institusyon na hindi na kinakailangan ng marami pang mga ID o ibang mga dokumento. Malaking kaluwagan ito para sa ating mga kalalawigan. At ang maganda rin dito ay makikilala tayo sa ibang bansa na tayo ay mga Pilipino sa pamamagitan lamang ng isang ID card (We fully support the Philippine Identification System because through it, our provincemates can now obtain various services from the government or private institutions without the need for many more IDs or other documents. This is a great relief for our provinces. And the good thing about it is that we will be recognized abroad as Filipinos just by an ID card),” Fernando said.

Among the first registrants during the launching were the governor and Vice Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado, along with the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and provincial government department heads. The rest of the capitol employees and staff are scheduled on June 8-29.

The Philippine Identification System or Philsys is the government’s central identification platform that aims to establish a single national identification system for all Filipino citizens and resident aliens in the country.

The Philippine Identification System Act, otherwise known as the Republic Act No. 11055 was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2018. (PNA)