Government to use national ID to deliver social protection programs

MANILA, Philippines — The government is moving toward the use of the national ID to deliver social protection programs to vulnerable sectors of society.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) recently inked an agreement for the adoption of the national ID in the identification and verification of beneficiaries for various programs.

The agreement covers a pilot test of the national ID in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) as well as the gradual integration in the application programming interface-enabled services into all DSWD programs over the next three years.

“We strive to promote seamless service delivery in order to improve the efficiency and transparency of our social protection programs. It is also a step towards financial inclusion for our beneficiaries and clients,” Social Welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista said.

“The Philsys ID, as a valid proof of identity, is easily accessible to everyone. It opens a lot of opportunities for the unbanked poor and vulnerable sectors, particularly on easier registration with the banks and other financial institutions of their choice, therefore expanding their access to social and financial services,” he said, referring to the Philippine Identification System.

National statistician Dennis Mapa said the partnership will provide a strengthened financial inclusivity and quick delivery of public services.

“As the PhilSys continues to expand its implementation, may this partnership encourage other government agencies and private institutions to work hand-in-hand with the PSA to cater the public with easier access to other various private and public services,” Mapa said.

DSWD’s 4Ps is the country’s national poverty reduction strategy and flagship safety net program, aimed at investing in the health and education of children from poor households and currently provides support to over four million households.

The AICS, on the other hand, is part of DSWD’s protective services to support marginalized individuals and families recovering from unexpected crisis situations, such as the sudden death of a family member.

The latest partnership makes DSWD the first national government agency to adopt the national ID in identifying and verifying its beneficiaries.

By adopting the national ID, DSWD will be able to digitize and streamline its beneficiary registration, establish a united beneficiary database, identify and remove duplicate or ghost beneficiaries and enable financial inclusion and digital payments.

As a result, DSWD will provide benefits more quickly to intended beneficiaries while preventing fraud and leakages.

The PSA urged DSWD program beneficiaries who have not yet registered with PhilSys that they may complete their registration on the Philsys database by visiting https://register.philsys.gov.ph.