Regula reviews capabilities needed to process different Philippine IDs

The Philippines is evolving digitally and a key part of its ongoing DPI journey is its National ID System.

Known previously as the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) rebranded the system to something more instantly recognizable to boost universal adoption of the National ID. Regula has explored the challenges the Philippines’ National ID faces in a lengthy overview.

With provinces like Davao de Oro and Quirino reporting registration rates of around 90 percent as of January 2025, sections of the population remain stubbornly hard to reach. But increasing acceptance is not the only problem.

Historically, the Philippines has had a complicated relationship with IDs as citizens had multiple forms of identification. These documents were needed to apply for bank accounts, to access government services, and for commonplace transactions. A National ID is aimed at replacing all these different forms of identity documents. In 1973, then-president Ferdinand Marcos attempted to launch the National Reference Card System, but it ultimately failed due to legal challenges and concerns over privacy.

In 2010, it was the turn of the Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID), which was intended to fold various government-issued IDs into a single card. But the UMID was not supposed to be used as a national ID and was not recognized outside of government transactions. The UMID did not see wide acceptance although it remains a secondary identity document for informal use by some citizens.

In 2018, PhilID was introduced to finally create a single, universally recognized proof of identity. Now known as National ID, the system depends on every Filipino citizen and resident alien being assigned a PhilSys Number (PSN) upon birth or registration. A physical card would be issued for proof of identity, for government and private transactions, and a central PhilSys Registry would store biometric and demographic data.

The National ID is bilingual with data field names in both English and Filipino, although the data itself is only in English. The cards are made of polycarbonate, with laser-engraved details, guilloche patterns, color-shifting ink, and a QR code with biometric data, as Regula notes. The National ID has a special feature in that it uses a digital signature carried by the QR code, which helps to confirm ID authenticity. However, this caused problems when Filipino banks and financial institutions refused to recognize the PhilID as a valid form of identification since it didn’t contain a handwritten signature. The PSA then had to issue memorandums to banks so they would recognize the PhilID.

In 2022, the Philippines government introduced the digital version of the National ID known as ePhilID. The physical version has faced problems as the 90 million or so citizens who have registered (out of a target of 110 million Filipinos) have not all received the document while there have been reports of printing errors on the IDs. To validate ePhilIDs it is necessary to use the PhilSys Check website or an IDV solution like Document Reader SDK to scan and verify the QR code data contained in ePhilID ID (which is either a digital file or a printed document on paper). Regula observes that Filipinos have other forms of government-issued ID such as passport, Postal ID, driver’s license and Voter’s ID. Processing Philippine IDs can be a challenge then as there is a need for an automated ID verification solution that works with every type of document. You can read more of Regula’s exploration of the Southeast Asian country’s National ID here.

PSA encourages young Filipinos to take up Digital National ID

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is encouraging young Filipinos (such as college students) to get their Digital National ID, the digital version of the National ID, which can be accessed via the eGovPH app.

PSA Undersecretary, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis S. Mapa said, “The Introduction of the Digital National ID is a game-changer since Filipinos can now easily and readily access their National ID at their fingertips.”

On the PSA website, the authority gave examples of young Filipinos who have benefited, such as Brian Catiis, a student from Malabon City, who apparently was able to open a mobile wallet account and claim financial assistance for his studies via the Digital National ID.

The Digital National ID can be downloaded free of charge and can be stored on a mobile device, emphasized Deputy National Statistician Rosalinda P. Bautista. Mapa also added that the Digital National ID is “especially beneficial for the youth who often have difficulties obtaining their first government-issued ID to unlock employment opportunities and other services.”

As of 30 December 2024, a total of 84,075,838 Digital National IDs can be accessed via the eGovPH app, according to the PSA.

Davao City to implement personal digital ID

The local government of Davao City, a commercial hub on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, will be implementing an ID card system for local residents, the Philippine Information Agency said.

The newfangled Unified Davao City Identification Card, or DCitizen ID, is aimed at simplifying access to government services in the city. Davao City 2nd District Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, who authored the new ordinance, said local agencies’ servers have been converted into a centralized server to facilitate use of the new ID system.

The DCitizen ID appears to have helped unify various government services so that residents will no longer be required to visit different government offices for their transactions. Militar also happens to be an I.T. professor at the University of Mindanao and the current chair of the committee of Information Communications Technology of the City Council and advocates for digitalizing government transactions.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  document verification  |  identity document  |  identity management  |  national ID  |  Philippines  |  Philippines Statistics Authority  |  Regula