PSA targets Philsys pre-registration of 9 million poorest by end-2020

October 18 ------ The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said it aims to encode 9 million of the poorest Filipinos into the Philippine Identification System (Philsys) within the year to ensure that government aid will go to those who need it the most amid the pandemic. According to Chino Gaston’s “24 Oras” report on Monday, the PSA has started gathering the personal information of the poorest families in over 30 provinces for the pre-registration to Philsys.

“Lalo na ngayong panahon ng pandemic, gusto po ng government na kung may tulong na ibababa, sila po ‘yung magiging priority na mabigyan po natin ng tulong lalong lalo na kung magkakaroon na po tayo ng national ID,” registration team leader Dennis Engina explained. The pre-registration for Metro Manila and other parts of the country will begin in the first quarter of 2021.

The government set a P27.8 billion budget for the national ID system with the goal of registering 92 million Filipinos by 2022. The Makabayan bloc earlier warned that the national ID system could be used against critics of the administration. The Philippine National Police countered that those who had nothing to hide had nothing to fear.

Source: gmanetwork.com