The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Negros Oriental is urging more residents to avail of the agency’s online registration to speed up the process in the ongoing Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) rollout.
PSA-Negros Oriental provincial chief, Engr. Ariel Fortuito, said in an interview Thursday that it would be faster and more convenient if people registered online for Step 1 so that all the data and information required is already encoded prior to the next step which requires their physical appearance.
Step 2 registration has to be done personally by the registrants as they have to do the biometrics, such as fingerprints and iris scans, and the taking of photographs, he said.
Many registrants, however, choose to do both Step 1 and Step 2 at designated registration centers for varied reasons, such as not having access to a computer or the Internet, but this takes a longer process, Fortuito said.
He said they continue reaching out to the barangays, institutions, and establishments for mobile registration for the national ID system to reach as many people as possible, particularly those who are prohibited from leaving their homes due to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) restrictions.
The PSA here has a target output of 854,257 registrants for this year. As of last week, it reported an accomplishment of about 80 percent, Fortuito said.
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 will be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the 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