By Daphne Galvez, September 8, 2021; Philippine Daily Inquirer

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1485051/nearly-42-million-filipinos-have-signed-up-for-national-id

Manila, Philippines — Nearly 42 million Filipinos have already signed up for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) for their national ID, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Karl Chua said.

In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte that aired Wednesday morning, Chua said that as of September 3, a total of 41,970,083 Filipinos have registered for Step 1, which involves the door-to-door collection of information in low-income households and appointment setting for Step 2.

Meanwhile, a total of 28,682,680 individuals have completed the Step 2 registration, which involves going to registration centers and giving biometric information.

Finally, a total of 1,584,621 Filipinos have received their ID cards, Chua said.

The government is aiming to register 70 million individuals in the PhilSys by the end of this year. The registration for the national ID started in October 2020.

Chua said 5.2 million national ID registrants were able to sign up for bank accounts, as of August 22 this year.