MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday urged Filipinos to give "a chance" to the national ID that the government hoped would boost public service delivery, reduce corruption, and curtail bureaucratic red tape.

Duterte in 2018 signed into law the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act that mandated the government to create a single official identification card for all citizens and foreign residents that would serve as a de facto national identification number.

"As we pursue this long overdue project, I ask every Filipino to give PhilSys a chance so that we may maximize the advantages of a universal and secure database that will make transactions more efficient and our lives more convenient," he said in a taped message.

Duterte reminded the public to observe protocols to stop the spread of COVID-19, as they register for the ID system.

PhilSys will "uphold the privacy of all personal information," he added.

The President earlier this March received his PhilSys ID.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is mandated to lead the ID system, with support from a policy board chaired by the National Economic and Development Authority and composed of various government agencies.

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