National ID. ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Monday that the digital version of the national ID is as important as the physical ID.

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This comes amid a pause in the printing of the physical identification cards following the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) termination of its contract with AllCard, Inc. (ACI). 

PSA Assistant National Statistician Emily Pagador said 55 million physical cards have been printed out of nearly 90 million registered Filipinos. That puts to 35 million the number of registered individuals without a physical card so far. 

But for Pagador, a digital ID works the same way as a physical card, and in fact she said, in a digital world, people are now using mostly digital services. 

“At the end of the day hindi na natin kakailanganin talaga physical because of the digital aspect of our national ID platform. We always go back to - they can access their national ID already and enjoy the benefits of being registered to the national ID system,” she said during the the 3rd Philippine Identity Summit in Quezon City.

DIGITAL ID

The digital ID can be accessed via the eGov mobile phone application and Pagador said establishments should accept the digital ID. 

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If companies do not accept the digital version, she urged the public to report the company to the PSA. 

“It should not be about the cards that we issue. If ako pumunta sa isang opisina even without a physical card, my identity will be verified,” Pagador said. 

BSP, which is in charge of printing the national ID, has terminated its contract with ACI citing failure to deliver its contractual obligations. 

BSP said ACI was supposed to provide the equipment, raw materials, and technical support. The issue is now under arbitration. 

Meanwhile at the Philippine Identity Summit, the Philippine Digital ID Experience Lab was also launched. 

It's a partnership among PSA, University of the Philippines Diliman and the Modular Open Source Identity Platform. It’s a space for research and development on the uses of the national ID and how to expand it to various sectors.

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