PHILSYS REGISTRATION. Engr. Marizza Grande, officer-in-charge assistant national statistician of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), says they aim to register 42,000 residents of Cordillera region, mostly in far-flung communities, to the Philippine Identification System. Grande was in Baguio City for a press conference on Tuesday (Feb. 8, 2022). (Screengrab from FB Live video)
BAGUIO CITY – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the government is targeting to process the birth registration of at least 99.5 percent of Filipinos, including 42,000 more "disadvantaged" residents in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), to attain its commitment to provide documents to all under the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).
In an interview after a press conference here on Tuesday, Engr. Marizza Grande, officer-in-charge assistant national statistician, said "we will go to the remotest villages, reach the poorest residents and those who have challenges in making themselves listed".
The PhilSys is targeting to process the birth registration of all Filipinos to provide them with a legal document by 2024.
Grande said, "we are hitting two birds with one stone - boost the PhilSys registration and attain the country's goal of registering all citizens."
She said a needs-based assessment conducted showed the project has to reach persons in marginalized communities or those residing in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), poor sectors, the Muslim Filipinos, and those currently living outside their place of birth.
Meanwhile, statistics provided by Adrian Cerezo, civil registration officer of the PSA-Cordillera, said nearly 500,000 residents in the region were able to complete the two stages of PhilSys registration for the national ID in 2021.
During the whole month of January this year, there were 114,167 who completed the registration.
"We hope to boost the registration and complete registering 1.3 million residents in the Cordillera," Cerezo said in a separate interview.
Baguio and Benguet have received an additional 39 registration kits that will allow PSA personnel to drum-up listing for the national ID in far-flung communities.
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 also seeks to boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government agencies where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)
