According to Biometric Update, the pilot was carried out in Marikina City in late July 2020, with volunteering household-heads providing all demographic information to PSA enumerators during door-to-door visits. The pilot was initiated to identify any gaps in the process and is expected that the full registration process will begin in the fourth quarter of 2020. The pre-registration process will only capture biometric information, such as fingerprints, iris scans, and front-facing photographs that will be done during the onsite registration process.
Furthermore, as the Philippines shifts toward a digital economy, members of unbanked households considered to have low income will be prioritised in the registration process, as the government attempts to use the PhilSys to support social protection and financial inclusion efforts.
Consequently, allowing low income families to open bank accounts with digital identity can make them less vulnerable to informal lending practices, while speeding up government aid disbursement. Besides, transactions with the government will be more efficient thanks to the digital ID.
Every day we send out a free e-mail with the most important headlines of the last 24 hours.
Subscribe now