MANILA – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reiterated that acquiring the national identification card is free of charge, due to continuous reports that some groups and individuals are abusing the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) initiative.
PSA, the project’s primary implementing agency, emphasized that there is no charge for booking online appointments or taking biometrics through its PhilSys Registry Office (PRO).
The Philippine Identification (PhilID) card is also free of charge when delivered through the Philippine Post.
The PSA warned people to only deal with legitimate PRO personnel.
“Only PSA-PhilSys employees are allowed to handle official transactions on the PhilSys registration,” the PSA said in an advisory on Aug. 11.
Everyone is reminded to be cautious of frauds and to report any illegal PhilSys transactions to hotline number 1388.
Step 1 registration is free for applicants and can be accessed via the web portal www.philsys.gov.ph.
After providing demographic information, the applicant can select a schedule for the Step 2 biometrics process.
Applicants must present themselves at registration facilities with their appointment reference number and QR (quick response) code for fingerprint, iris scans, and photographs.
Official information can be found on the PhilSys website (www.psa.gov.ph/philsys) or Facebook page www.facebook.com/PSAPhilSysOfficial/.
The PRO can be contacted by email at info@philsys.gov.ph.
Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, was signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2018. Its goal is to create a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident immigrants.
The national ID will be a valid proof of identity that will make public and private transactions, school enrollment, and bank account opening easier.
It will also improve efficiency, particularly when dealing with government services, as people will only need to provide one form of identification during transactions.
