MANILA—The printing of national ID cards will continue even during the holiday season, the central bank said on Wednesday.

According to R.A. No. 11055, a national ID is a valid proof of identity and must be accepted in all government and private sector transactions.

The BSP has mandated financial institutions and other firms to accept the national ID as "sufficient proof" of identification.

"In line with its commitment of providing citizens with a nationally-recognized identification document, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will continue printing Philippine Identification (PhilID) cards during the holiday season," the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said in a statement.

"The sustained production of PhilID cards is aligned with the national government’s broader initiatives to promote financial inclusion and inclusive economic growth," it added.

• BSP says national ID 'valid', sufficient proof of identity in opening bank accounts

Economic managers of the current administration have been pushing for the acceleration of the registration and ID-card distribution under the Philippine National ID System (PhilSys) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having a unified ID will speed up the distribution of cash aid, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua earlier said.

It will also streamline the process of opening bank accounts, which could boost financial inclusion in the country, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said.

Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez earlier said digitizing transactions would reduce corruption.

As of December 10, at least 50 million Filipinos registered for the national ID, data from the National Economic and Development Authority showed.

• 1.7 million Filipinos have received national ID

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