NATIONAL ID SIGN UP. Thousands of residents in Negros Oriental sign up for the government's national identification system. Registration for Steps 1 and 2 are ongoing in different parts of the province. (PNA file photo courtesy of Engr. Ariel Fortuito/PSA-Negros Oriental)
DUMAGUETE CITY – Thousands in Negros Oriental have turned up for registration in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) being carried out by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Engr. Ariel Fortuito, provincial chief of the PSA-Negros Oriental, said in an interview on Wednesday that as of March 2, the pre-registration (Step 1) for the national ID system has exceeded 100,000.
Records at the PSA showed the pre-registrants per week since the rollout began early February are as follows: Week 1, 19,701; Week 2, 18,654; Week 3, 19,659; Week 4, 16,733; Week 6, 15,889; March 1, 2,667; and March 2 and 3, 103.
For Step 2, there were 310 registrants in Week 1; Week 2 had 854; Week 3, 968; Week 4, 3,862; March 1, 1,220; and March 2, 1,440.
Step 1, which commenced in November, is ongoing in the entire province of Negros Oriental, based on the listings provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Step 2, meanwhile, is also ongoing in Dumaguete City, Sibulan, San Jose, Bacong, Dauin, Zamboanguita, Valencia, Pamplona, and Amlan.
Tanjay City, Bais City, and Mabinay will be next in line, perhaps next week, Fortuito added.
Signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on 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 shall be a valid proof of identity that will simplify public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and opening of bank accounts.
It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services as people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)
