SEALED. Officials of the Philippine Statistics Authority and SM Prime Holdings Inc. sign a memorandum of understanding to provide registration sites at SM malls nationwide for the national ID Step 2 (biometrics) process at SM Aura Tower in Taguig City on June 14, 2021. The Step 2 registration involves iris and fingerprint scanning and front-facing photographs. (Photo courtesy of PhilSys)
DAVAO CITY – SM mall branches nationwide will now accommodate Step 2 registration for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).
On June 14, 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and SM Prime Holdings Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide registration sites at SM malls for the biometrics process.
The MOU signing was held at SM Aura Tower in Taguig City, according to a PSA announcement the day after the signing.
“This partnership will help PSA's goal to expand PhilSys operation and register more Filipinos across the country,” PSA said.
PhilSys, or the National Identification program, primarily targets low-income families to make them financial-assistance inclusive.
By 2022, the PSA target is to register 70 million of the general Filipino and resident alien population.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, PhilSys registration continues under mandated health protocols.
Step 2 registration involves iris and fingerprint scanning and front-facing photographs.
To date, 226 cities and municipalities are already open for online booking of appointments for the Step 2 registration.
As of June, the PSA confirmed that 2,072,247 Filipinos have already registered for the online Step 1 registration that was launched on April 30.
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)
