SIQUIJOR (PIA) --The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has registered a total of 90,568 Siquijodnons aged five years and above as of December 21, 2023. 

The count is part of the over 50 million PhilIDs or ePhilID that have been successfully printed and dispatched for Filipinos nationwide who have registered with the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), said PSA Siquijor Information Officer Rizalyn Teodora Gaviola. 

Gaviola said the registered Siquijodnons have completed Step 2 Registration or capturing of biometric information such as iris scan, fingerprints, and front-facing photograph.  

Benefits of National ID 

The PhilID or national ID serves as a valid proof of identity that would help ease transactions with both government and private sectors through easier validation and authentication of identity. 

Loregie A. Ursal, 21, of Barangay Cangomantong in Lazi town, said the national ID is a big help for her especially since she does not have a valid ID. 

“Kini dako kaayo nakong tabang kay usa kini sa mga requirements sa Malasakit Center para makakayo kami ug subsidy sa among mga galastuon sa hospital. (This is a great help to me because it is one of the requirements of the Malasakit Center so that we can get a subsidy for our hospital expenses),” said Ursal. 

Joseph Alvarico, 45, another registrant who has already received his PhilID, has started using his ID for his transactions with government offices. 

"Mapasalamaton ako nga nakadawat ko sa national ID kay mao kini akong gigamit sa pagkuha sa akong sweldo sa TUPAD ug sa uban pa nakong mga transaksyon. (I am grateful that I received the national ID because I use it to get my salary from TUPAD and my other transactions),” said Alvarico. 

TUPAD is the acronym for Tulong Panghanapbuhay Alang sa Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers, a community-based program implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment that offers temporary employment for displaced workers from the informal sector. 

Another Siquijodnon who has benefited from the national ID is 48-year-old Vanguardia Patarlas Dandoy of Barangay Calunasan in Larena. 

Dandoy said the National ID has made it easy for her to secure clearances and transact with government offices.  

“Nagamit nako ang akong national ID sa akong pagbiyahe pa adto sa Cagayan de Oro, ug nagamit nako sa pagkuha ug police clearance. Mao sab ni akong gipakita kong transaction sa mga ahensya (I used my national ID when I was traveling to Cagayan de Oro. I also used it to get a police clearance. This is also what I show when I have transactions with other offices),” she said. 

For 63-year-old  Leticia Sumili of Bagacay, Larena said she is happy that she can now use her National ID card to claim remittances from her family who lives in Palawan as well as in the other transactions with different agencies.

No PhilID yet? 

The PSA advised those who have not yet registered for their PhilID to visit any PSA Provincial Statistical office or the nearest registration center. 

For those who have not received their physical card yet, they may bring their PhilSys Transaction Slip to the PSA Siquijor Provincial Statistical office to print the digital copy of their PhilID. 

To expand the registration availability and issuance of ePhilID, the PSA Siquijor mobilized a Fixed Registration Center (FRC) for walk-in registrants.

The agency also conducted a series of mobile operations dubbed “PhilSys on Wheels” in the six municipalities in the province with six registration kits to cater both ePhilID issuance and Step 2 Registration (biometric capturing). 

Gaviola said PSA prioritizes the ePhilID issuance to registrants who had completed their Step 2 Registration (biometric capturing) but have yet to receive their physical PhilID cards.

She assured that claiming of the ePhilID is free of charge.

Those who want to claim their ePhilID at PhilSys registration centers will still receive their physical card, which will be delivered by the Post Office to the address they indicated on their Step 2 Registration (biometric capturing). 

With the printed ePhilID, registered persons can immediately utilize the benefits of PhilSys, such as faster and seamless transactions in accessing financial and social protection services requiring proof of identity, subject to authentication.

The printed ePhilID bears the same information as the physical PhilID card, containing the registered person’s demographic data, front-facing photograph, PhilSys Card Number, generation date, and QR code.

The QR code found on the printed ePhilID will be scanned via PhilSys Check (https://verify.philsys.gov.ph) for authentication.

It is embedded with the registrant’s photo as an additional security feature to verify the ID’s authenticity.

The PSA issued an advisory assuring the public that the printed ePhilID and other formats of the digital PhilID shall be accepted in all transactions needing proof of identity and age, subject to authentication.

As of December 22, 2023, the PSA reported a total 50,064,756 PhilIDs have already been printed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and sent out for delivery through the Philippine Postal Corporation. (RAC/PIA7-Siquijor)