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Nat’l ID registration

National ID

THE “pre-registration” for the country’s first national ID starts today in 32 provinces that are considered low-risk areas for the dreaded and deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

From October 12 to Dec. 30, 2020, some 5,000 “enumerators” will conduct house-to-house visits in these selected provinces to collect demographic information from nine million Filipinos.

Of the number, five million are household heads and the rest are other adult household members in the 32 provinces, which host most of the 40-percent poorest families in the country.

The provinces are Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Tarlac, Bulacan, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Rizal, Laguna, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, Masbate, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Compostela Valley and Tawi-Tawi.

The demographic data that will be asked include full name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, blood type, permanent and present address and whether the registrant is a Filipino or a resident alien.

Optional questions are marital status, cellular telephone number and e-mail address.

The issuance of a national ID is aimed at eliminating the need for lots of IDs from various government agencies and enhance the distribution of subsidies and social protection aid from the government.

The government hopes to provide about 92 million Filipinos with the national ID by the end of June 2022, when President Duterte completes his six-year presidency, which started in June 2016.

We are made to believe that the national ID system will go a long way in addressing the many problems confronting the country and the people, including criminality, insurgency and terrorism.

Thus, the gigantic undertaking deserves support of the public even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.