Philippines looks to boost digital ID adoption with rebrand, more services

The Philippines is hoping to boost the acceptance of its national digital identity with a new rebrand. The country is also enticing its citizens to apply for the ID by offering deals with financial institutions and more streamlined access to public services.

The term Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) will be replaced with the simpler name of National ID to avoid confusing the public, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced last week.

The name change could also be used to unify different forms of the same document, according to PSA’s Registration Officer II Jude Lo. Citizens will be able to use a physical plastic card called National ID Card, a National ID in paper form and the Digital National ID which is the downloaded form.

The Southeast Asian nation is planning to enroll all of its citizens into the identity scheme by the end of 2025. PSA has urged everyone, including children, to register for the National ID. One of the reasons for registering is better access to public services, the agency points out.

PSAHelpline, the platform for birth, marriage and death certificates, has been integrated into the National ID system and will allow citizens to apply for these documents online after completing an identity verification process, the PSA announced this week.

The PSAHelpline platform will verify National IDs through a QR code and a liveness check. Individuals with a verified National ID can also authorize trusted household members to receive PSA certificates on their behalf.

To entice unbanked Filipinos to sign up for the digital ID, the PSA has also been making deals with local banks. Citizens who register for the National ID system through their phone, for instance, can open an account at several financial institutions for free.

Asia United Bank (AUB) is the first local bank to integrate with National ID authentication services through their mobile wallet app, HelloMoney. Since September 2024, the bank has onboarded around 94,000 users to HelloMoney through the National ID.

Other financial institutions have been joining the scheme including LandBank, microfinance rural bank Dungganon Bank and the fintech GoTyme Bank.

Aside from introducing more services to the digital ID, the government has been making moves to increase the number of physical IDs by avoiding supply disruptions.

In November 2024, the PSA announced it would pursue a decentralized approach to printing National ID cards by installing mobile card printers in different areas. The move comes after PSA was forced to terminate the contract with the national ID card supplier due to delays and take over printing operations. The mobile printers will be located at PSA-owned and controlled facilities.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  National ID Card  |  PhilID  |  Philippines  |  Philippines Statistics Authority