The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday the national ID registration would start on October 12.
“The registration Step 1, to capture the 10 demographic information of the registrants, will start on 12 October 2020,” PSA chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said in a text message.
“Our registration officers will visit the houses of the identified registrants, using the listahanan from the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development), to collect the information and provide an appointment (day and time) when they will visit the mobile registration centers (stationed at the LGUs),” the PSA chief said.
Mapa said that Step 2 for national ID registration would begin on November 25. The process included capturing the biometric information such as iris scan, fingerprints, and photograph at the PhilSys registration centers.
“This will complete the registration process,” Mapa said.
He said that the Step 1 for national ID registration is introduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “to ensure the health and safety protocols at the registration centers, less queuing because of the appointment system and shorter time period for registration since only three sets of biometric information will be captured.”
The PSA aims to register nine million Filipinos from low-income households for Step 1. Mapa said the agency targets five million of those who complete Step 1 to finish the registration process in the fourth quarter of 2020.
“Target for 2021 is 45 million Filipinos and in 2022 about [another] 42 million,” he said.
Also read: President Duterte signs new national identity card act into law
Priority provinces for national ID registration
Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya earlier said in a virtual press briefing that the priority provinces for the national ID system include the following:
- Region I – Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan
- Region II – Cagayan, Isabela
- Region III – Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales
- Region IV-A – Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal
- Region V – Albay, Camarines Sur, Masbate
- Region VI – Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental
- Region VII – Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental
- Region VIII – Leyte
- Region IX – Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental
- BARMM – Tawi-Tawi
Malaya said the provinces mentioned above are already coordinating with the Philippine Statistics Authority and the DILG regional offices.