Philippines reaches 10M digital IDs issued in first 2 months, pilots downloadable version

The Philippine Statistics Authority says it has issued the printable version of the national digital ID to 10 million people in just the first 60 days of their availability.

The ePhilID was launched in late-October, and 10,126,352 have been collected at PhilSys registration centers as of December 19. Availability is also expanding with a downloadable version, beginning with a small pilot which is now underway.

Physical cards are also allocated to each individual registered with PhilSys, and mailed to the individual’s home address. The printing and delivery of the cards are carried out in partnership with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Philippine Postal Corporation (Post Office).

“We launched the ePhilID just two months ago. Reaching the 10 million mark this fast in the implementation is, indeed, a major milestone. This only shows how ready we Filipinos are for PhilSys as a digital ID. We are overwhelmed and grateful for the huge demand for the ePhilIDs,” says PSA Undersecretary, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Dennis S. Mapa.

Mapa also says PSA is continuing to partner with government agencies and the private sector to expand ePhilID acceptance. The digital ID can be used immediately for a range of government services, opening a bank account, and other applications. It is currently accepted by the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Social Welfare and Development, and Finance, as well as the national insurance and health insurance systems, the central bank and the privacy authority.

The printed or digital PhilID is verified through a QR code using public and private-key cryptography.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital ID cards  |  national ID  |  PhilID  |  Philippines  |  Philippines Statistics Authority