PSA: 28 million digital national IDs issued

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 28 million electronic versions of the Philippine ID or ePhilIDs have been issued by the government, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In a statement, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Dennis Mapa said 27,980,515 printed ePhilIDs have been issued as of March 24.

He said another 913,350 ePhilIDs have been downloaded.

Mapa said the ePhilID is among PSA’s initiatives to help the country move to a digital society.

“We at the PSA hope that more Filipinos can experience the convenience of using a valid and sufficient ID whether printed or stored in a mobile device for improved access to countless services,” he said.

Mapa said the PSA wants registered individuals to have a valid proof of identity as the country goes digital.

The ePhilID has two versions: the printed and downloadable, which can be stored on mobile devices.

The printed version may be claimed in any PhilSys registration center or through plaza-type and house-to-house distribution of PSA field offices.

The downloadable version can be accessed after receiving a text message from the PSA.

The ePhilID has the same function and validity as the PhilID.

The ePhilID is honored and accepted as an official government-issued ID for transactions in both government and private establishments.

The QR code on the ePhilID may be scanned for verification through https://verify.philsys.gov.ph.

Those who have yet to receive a notification from PSA for the downloadable ePhilID may check its availability at https://appt.philsys.gov.ph.

Mapa said those who have claimed or downloaded their ePhilID would still receive their PhilID card to be delivered to the address they provided.

“For every registered person, we have allocated a PhilID,” Mapa said.

“Rest assured that all registered persons, even those who had claimed ePhilIDs, will receive their PhilIDs,” he said.

He urged the public to report to the PSA in case the ePhilID is not accepted in transactions.