Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte on Sunday urged the Philippine Statistics Authority and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to find ways to accelerate the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) project to further reduce red tape, and hasten the delivery of basic services and financial aid to poor families.
The Philsys or national ID system will also complement the e-governance bill re-filed in the incoming 19th Congress that seeks to shift government transactions online, he said.
In addition, the national ID would help weed out “false” beneficiaries from social protection programs, thus assisting the government in better targeting those who need financial aid the most during times of crisis, he emphasized.
Under the administration of his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, he said the substantial funding releases were approved to fast-track the implementation of Philsys.
But 2021 report of the Commission on Audit on BSP showed BSP and its contractor tasked to deliver the physical Philsys cards were unable to meet their production targets, causing delays in the project.
“Accelerating the implementation of the national ID system will make the delivery of financial assistance swift and efficient. Aside from that, a well-maintained national ID system will help the government clean up its database of beneficiaries of social protection programs, such as the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program). Even those who dupe the system by getting senior citizen ID cards even though they are not yet qualified to avail of the benefits for seniors will be weeded out,” Duterte said.
PSA is the leading agency to implement the Philsys project, while the BSP is in charge of producing the physical ID cards, which will then be turned over to the Philippine Postal Corp. for delivery.
“We urge the BSP and PSA to come up with a good catch-up plan to speed up the implementation of this vital project,” Duterte said.
According to reports, PSA has already registered 74 percent or 68.3 million national ID applicants out of its 92 million target as of June 30.
Out of this number, only 13.86 million physical cards have been delivered.
Duterte said a PSA plan to issue printable versions of the national ID with a corresponding mobile ID that can be accessed through the Philsys app could be a step in fast tracking the full implementation of the project.
PSA should continue printing the physical ID cards, considering that under the 2022 national budget, P4.84 billion has been appropriated for the Philsys project, he added.
Under the 2022 General Appropriations Act, PSA “shall set a timetable to fully establish and implement the system, which shall not be later than December 31, 2024.”
