Quezon city: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) are preparing to launch a nationwide unified identification system for persons with disabilities (PWDs) starting October 13. This initiative aims to streamline and standardize the identification process across all local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines.
According to Philippines News Agency, Assistant Secretary for Information and Communications Technology Johannes Paulus Acu±a shared details about the upcoming nationwide scale up during a media forum at the DSWD Central Office. The rollout is expected to register approximately 200,000 PWDs in the new system.
Acu±a, who also serves as the DSWD's Chief Information Officer, noted positive feedback from the pre-pilot and pilot phases of the unified ID system. The pre-pilot phase, conducted from August 11 to September 12 in select areas such as Manila, Muntinlupa, and Pasay, demonstrated efficient registration with a turnaround time of seven to ten minutes.
During the pilot phase involving 35 LGUs, the program received a positive net satisfaction rating of 4.6 out of 5 from Persons with Disability Affairs Offices (PDAO). As of the latest update, 56 LGU users from pilot areas have registered in the system, encoding 311 ID data with 256 approved and 55 under review.
Moving forward, Acu±a stated that the NCDA is organizing orientations for a new batch of LGUs to introduce them to the online system. The agency will also release guidelines and transition plans to facilitate the adoption of the system.
The unified ID system features a digital ID accessible through a mobile app or web portal, equipped with a QR code for quick verification by businesses. The DSWD is collaborating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to integrate the system into the eGovPH app.
This initiative, led by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, seeks to eliminate fake PWD IDs and aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s agenda to enhance inclusivity for vulnerable sectors.
