PSA urges Albay residents to register for national ID

By Connie Calipay

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Albay has urged more Albayanos to register for the Philippine Identification (PhilID) or national ID.

Cross Doreh Lee, PSA-Albay spokesperson, said the aim is to register 543,588 persons this year, but so far, only about 3.56 percent of the target has registered.

“As per data, we already have 19,137 registrants who have already captured biometrics and demographic data, equivalent to 3.56 percent of the total target in Albay,” she said.

Lee said a total of 120,977 PhilIDs have been delivered to the recipients in the province so far.

Asked why there are delays in receiving the IDs, Lee said before printing, the IDs undergo thorough verification, apart from other factors.

“While printing, the papers do not meet the quality of the printing, so it needs to be reprinted. The delivery also prioritized those who underwent step 1 registration or the house-to-house registration of the low-income families.”

“Some IDs were returned to the office because, when it was delivered no certain person was living there, other addresses could not be located and some recipients were already dead,” she added.

Due to the pandemic, residents from distant barangays also found it difficult to travel to PhilSys Registration Centers.

To address this, PhilSys registration teams hold mobile registration in barangays to reach more applicants.

Some of the PhilSys Registration Centers in Albay that accept registrants from Mondays to Saturdays are the: Camalig Gymnasium, Camalig; Daraga MSWDO, 3rd Floor, Daraga Public Market, Daraga; Arandurungan Hall, Guinobatan; Libon Business Institutional and Recreational Center, Libon; Ligao City Tuburan Barangay Hall; Biazon Hall, 2nd Floor, Oas Municipal Building; Polangui ABC Hall; Tabaco City Mall, 3rd Floor, Divino Rostro.

In Legazpi City, registrants may go to the Embarcadero de Legazpi from Monday to Thursday; SM City Legazpi, 3rd Floor; Pacific Mall, 3rd Floor; and PSA Building, Regional Government Center in Rawis.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

The national ID shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.

It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (With a report from Glydel Sarcia/PNA-OJT)