The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Negros Oriental office here is now accepting walk-ins and non-city residents for registration to the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) at three sites in this capital city.
Engr. Ariel Fortuito, PSA-Negros Oriental provincial head, in an interview Tuesday afternoon, said they are now allowing this to fast-track the registration of more people to the government’s national identification program.
“We are hoping that by doing this, we will be able to reach our target of more than 800,000 registrants by the end of the year,” he said.
Records at the PSA showed that as of last week, about 600,000 individuals have already registered for the PhilSys program in Negros Oriental.
Fortuito admitted a slowdown in registration due to the stricter quarantine classification imposed in the province due to a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases.
He urged non-residents of this capital who come here to take the opportunity and sign up for the national ID.
The registration sites are at the Robinsons Place shopping mall, the Lorenzo Building along the national highway in Barangay Daro, and at the City Mall.
Fortuito said anybody from outside of Dumaguete can register at any of these sites provided they belong to the age group allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to leave their homes.
They are requested to bring two valid government identification, such as driver’s license, Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID), valid passport, birth certificate, and/or police or barangay clearance, among others, he said.
The PSA-Negros Oriental is also continuing its satellite registrations at institutions and offices.
Signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.
The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that will be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and opening of bank accounts.
It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions.
Source: Philippines News Agency