Manila: Senior citizens with a verified digital ID issued through eGovPH may no longer be required to submit a birth certificate when applying for government cash gifts, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) announced on Friday.

According to Philippines News Agency, NCSC Chairperson Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez stated that the digital ID has already undergone verification through government databases. This allows the commission to use it as proof of identity and age for qualified beneficiaries. "Kapag nagkaroon na ng ID from the eGov.ph kasi dumaan na iyan sa PSA - iyon na, hindi na kami hihingi ng birth certificate pa (Once they have an ID from eGov.ph, since it has already gone through the PSA, we will no longer ask for a birth certificate)," Gutierrez explained during the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing.

The arrangement was developed through interagency coordination among the NCSC, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. This simplified requirement aims to assist elderly applicants who face difficulties in securing birth certificates, a recurring issue during the validation of cash gift applications.

Gutierrez emphasized that the NCSC and local Offices for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCAs) are collaborating with the PSA to support applicants whose civil registry documents are incomplete or unavailable. Alternative documents may also be considered to establish an applicant's age when a birth certificate is not readily accessible. "Kung mayroon namang mga dokumento, mga ibang dokumento na puwedeng mapagkilanlan (If there are other documents that can establish their identities). we resolve it in favor of the senior citizen applying for this," she added.

Applications are initially filed with OSCAs, which forward the documents to the NCSC regional offices for validation. This process includes checks for duplicate applications and confirmation that beneficiaries remain eligible.