ILOILO CITY (PIA) - - About 280,000 ePhilIDs have already been issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Iloilo in the province as part of the ongoing implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Step 3.
Per report from PSA-Iloilo as of 31 December 2022, it has issued a total of 277,824 ePhilIDs throughout Iloilo, surpassing its target of 212,499 by 30.74 percent and its original workload of 158,240 by 75.57 percent.
All over the country, PSA-Iloilo ranked 14th among all the provincial statistical offices in the number of ePhilID issuances which accounts for over 2 percent of the nationwide total.
PSA-Iloilo attributed the impressive achievement to the tireless efforts of its field personnel who conducted house-to-house deliveries even in remote areas in order to ensure that every individual who applied will receive their ePhilID.
The issuance of ePhilIDs in Iloilo began in the month of October and in the span of two months, the demand quickly grew as more recipients began receiving their printable IDs.
The ePhilID, which serves as a crucial national identification document, is a part of the PSA's proactive strategy to allow the immediate use of PhilSys as a valid proof of identity and age, subject to authentication.
ePhilIDs, fully functional and equally valid as physical ID cards, are accepted by both government agencies and private establishments for transactions requiring proof of identity or age.
Despite just being printed on a piece of paper, the ePhilID boasts advanced security features such as a QR code that utilizes public-private key cryptography to protect the information stored within it from tampering, according to PSA-Iloilo.
In addition to demographic information, the QR code also includes the registered person's facial photograph, providing an additional layer of security when verifying the identity of the ePhilID holder.
To verify the authenticity of an ePhilID or PhilID, the PhilSys Check can be used to scan the QR code and view the demographic data contained within the ID. Transactions involving the ePhilID must be authenticated through the PhilSys Check website, which can be accessed on any device with a camera and internet browser.
Each registered person will still be allocated with a physical PhilSys ID card, which will be delivered to the address they used during Step 2 registration.
PSA is working with various government agencies and the private sector to ensure the acceptance of the ePhilID. It is also working in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Philippine Postal Corporation to ensure the continuous printing and delivery of these cards. (JBG/Story from PSA-Iloilo/LAF/PIA6-Iloilo)
