DAVAO CITY--Government has assured that data of Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) registrants are protected.
In a statement on May 12, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) noted that as provided in the PhilSys Act, security and privacy of the 12-digit PSN are guaranteed.
“In line with the government’s commitment to data protection, privacy-by-design and security of the PhilSys, the permanent 12-digit PSN (PhilSys Number) is microprinted on the back face of a registered person’s PhilID, which is to prevent it from being easily seen or captured,” PSA said.
In the same manner, the 16-digit PhilID Card Number or PCN also contains security features.
“A 16-digit PhilID Card Number (PCN) – essentially a public version of the PSN – is printed conspicuously on the front face of the card and is intended to be used for authentication purposes,” PSA added.
PSA advised PhilSys registered persons to only use their PCN for transactions, not their PSN.
“Similarly, relying parties should not request or capture the PSN,” PSA said.
As of May 1, up to 40,000 registrants have already received their PhilID from the Philippine Postal Office, PSA's partner agency in the implementation of PhilSys.
This number is expected to increase in the coming days as more and more individuals have applied for the Step 1 online registration.
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 also seeks to boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)
