SSS sets new guidelines for biometric ID cards

The Social Security System has announced new guidelines for members in applying for an SSS biometric identification card.

SSS president and chief executive officer Corazon de la Paz-Bernardo, in a memorandum published in the agency’s website, said a member can just present two valid identification cards if they have not yet obtained the SSS biometric ID.

“Members could also show just one valid ID and their SSS Form E-6 acknowledgment stub, which certifies their application for an SSS biometric ID,” she said.

SSS modified its identification requirements after its ID production hit a snag last August.  One of the most important features of the SSS biometric ID is the member’s fingerprint captured in the card.

There are more than 10 million biometric IDs already released, including replacement cards for members who changed their names or lost their old SSS IDs.

The production of the biometric card has been suspended for now due to system repairs.

Bernardo said the SSS has been finalizing a contract with a technology provider which can address the problem in its fingerprint matching software and data capture machines in SSS branches.

“We expect to resume normal ID system operations next month. We can eliminate the production backlog by the end of June,” she said.  — Jasmin R. Uy/RAE