National Economic Development Development Authority Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua (PNA FIle photo)
DAVAO CITY — National Economic Development Development Authority Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua has identified three major uses of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) or the national ID program: subsidy distribution, financial inclusion, and efficient vaccine distribution.
“The Philippine government is looking forward to implementing three use cases for PhilSys in the immediate term: first, ensuring efficient and effective distribution of emergency subsidies; second, strengthening financial inclusion; third, facilitating efficient vaccine distribution for the general population,” Chua said during the Human Capital Ministerial Conclave organized by the World Bank on April 5 this year.
At the gathering where he spoke to fellow finance and planning ministers of countries, Chua specifically cited the Philippines is used to turn crisis as a window to embark on certain “long-standing reforms”.
He was referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, in which having a national ID is significant in the distribution of financial assistance through bank accounts.
Chua said the government is currently working on the PhilSys registry that would be linked to existing registries through the Philsys Identification Number (PSN) for authentication.
This mechanism, he said, will support the efficient distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine for the general population.
He added that PhilSys may also help seamlessly implement digital vaccine credentials in the future.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed several institutional weaknesses, including the difficulty in identifying beneficiaries for social programs and the lack of bank accounts for the efficient distribution of subsidies," he said. “Given this, the President gave the directive to accelerate the implementation of the PhilSys. We aim to register 50 to 70 million individuals by the end of the year."
Chua added that the Philippines should look to other countries benefiting from a national ID system.
"We are truly excited to register the majority of our population, and eventually implement the use cases to benefit our people,” he said.
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 shall 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 will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)
