THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is asking for a Christmas break in printing national identification cards, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Deputy National Statistician Rosalinda P. Bautista said currently, the printing of the National IDs is done on a 24/7 basis. If the operations will be stopped even for one day, this will set back the printing by 70,000 to 80,000 PhilSys IDs.
Bautista said that while there is no decision at this time regarding the Christmas break for National ID printing, she is asking for patience from the public, especially those waiting for the arrival of their ID cards to their persons.
“Walang Sabado, walang Linggo pero hindi ko po alam; pinag-uusapan pa,” Bautista said in a recent news briefing. “Kasi nakikiusap din ang Bangko Sentral na kung pwede magkaroon ng Pasko, December 24 [and] December 25 na stop operation.” [No Saturday, no Sunday but I don’t know; it’s still under discussion. Because the central bank is also asking if there is a Christmas break; December 24 and December 25, a stop in operations.]
“But each day that we do not have an operation means we’re losing the production of at least 60,000 to 80,000 cards. Yun po ang kapalit noon at alam po naming maraming nag-aantay ng kanilang mga PhilIDs,” she explained. [That’s the trade-off but we know many are waiting for their PhilIDs.]
Bautista, who leads the PhilSys Registry Office, said that as of the first week of November, some 3.268 million Filipinos were already able to receive their National IDs.
“We continue to ask for patience and support from the public, as we, together with the PhilPost and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas continuously do our best in accommodating the millions who have successfully registered for the production and delivery of their PhilIDs,” Bautista said.
As of November 5, Bautista said 41.045 million Filipinos were able to complete Step 1 and 2 of the National ID process. Step 1 pertains to the only collection of demographic information while Step 2 is for the physical collection of biometric information in PSA registration areas.
The PSA also said that under Step 2, some 5.916 million unbanked Filipinos were able to create Landbank accounts. The PSA and Landbank have partnered for Step 2 to allow Filipinos to use the information they submitted to PSA to open bank accounts.
In order to fast-track these efforts, the PSA will also be launching the PhilSys mobile ID which is the digital version of the PhilID card. The launch of the PhilSys mobile ID aims to accelerate the use of PhilSys, by providing a digital alternative to the physical card.
Bautista said the PSA also looks forward to having more parties accept the PhilSys ID in order to increase the use of the National ID. She also said the PSA will also pilot the National ID overseas registration next year.
Through PhilSys, the PSA aims to provide registrants with easier access to social protection, health, education, and other government services. Further, this initiative is in line with the goal to achieve greater financial inclusion for all Filipinos.
With the PhilID, unbanked Filipinos will have proof of identity which is a key requirement in accessing formal financial services, making them less vulnerable to onerous practices such as the “5-6” lending scheme illegally practiced in grassroots communities.