THE government has added P3.52 billion more into the budget intended just for the registration of 20 million Filipinos to the national ID system next year.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved additional funding in a meeting last Monday, says presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
The Duterte Cabinet approved “the P3.52-billion additional budget for 2021 to register 20 million more individuals (on top of the 50 million target) to the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys),” said Roque.
Duterte in 2018 signed into law the 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.
The ID aims to boost efficient public service delivery, enhance administrative governance, reduce corruption, curtail bureaucratic red tape, promote ease of doing business, and strengthen financial inclusion.
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.