Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 13) — The Interior Department has ordered all local government units to accept the Philippine Identification (PhilID) card as a single requirement for all transactions in the Philippines.
In a statement Sunday, DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said he issued a memorandum directing all LGUs to consider the national ID card “as sufficient proof of identity without requiring any other additional identification document from the transacting public.”
He also urged the private sector to do the same as the PhilID is “enough” to prove the identity of a person.
According to Año, the PhilID has the registered person’s information including picture, full name, address, sex, marital status, and date of birth to establish the identity of the person. It also comes with the PhilSys Card Number (PCN), diffractive optically variable image device, QR (Quick Response) code, and PhilSys Number (PSN) Microprint for security purposes.
Meanwhile, the transacting public must take advantage of the national ID and register for it, he said.
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“Malaking tulong sa pagpapabilis ng mga proseso ang ating PhilID dahil dati dalawa o higit pang ID ang kailangan para mapatunayan ang iyong pagkakakilanlan. Ngayon, iisang ID na lang ang dala-dala mo at puwede na ito sa kahit anong transaksiyon na mangangailangan ng ID,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.
[Transaction: The PhilID is a big help in speeding up the process because previously two or more IDs were required to verify your identity. Now, you can only carry one ID and it can be used in any transaction that requires an ID]
“The PhilID card reduces costs, simplifies transactions, and makes things easier and more convenient. It also improves government services and reduces red tape in government transactions since all pertinent information of the registered person is already consolidated into one system,” the DILG chief added.
DILG Spokesperson and Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya warned that refusal to accept, acknowledge, or recognize the PhilID or PSN without just and sufficient cause will have to face a ₱500,000 fine.
For government officials and employees, refusing to accept the national ID would result in a lifetime ban from holding any public office or employment in the government, including government-owned and controlled corporations and their subsidiaries.
