SONA 2023: Marcos says nat’l ID at core of government’s digitalized services

The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) will be at the forefront of the Marcos administration’s digital transformation agenda, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said.

“The National ID system will be at the core of this digitally transformed network of government services. It will fundamentally change the lives of each Filipino,” Marcos said in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“At 87% total registration, we are now closer to establishing a complete, accurate, and reliable digital database of our own for the entire population,” the President said.

The National ID system of PhilSys was established through Republic Act No. 11055 or the Philippine Identification System Act, which aims to establish a single national ID system for all citizens and resident aliens of the Philippines. 

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority as of June 30, 2023, showed that there are 77.230 million individuals generated with their unique PhilSys number.

Around 34.32 million cards have been delivered while 38.35 million have been issued with printed ePhil IDs.

Marcos said the National ID system has already been integrated into the eGov PH app and can be now accessed by our citizens.

Last month, the government launched the eGov PH Supper App —an application that integrates all government online services in one platform.

“The eGov PH app has also been launched. As envisioned, all key government services are to be integrated into this single and centralized mobile app, for the convenience of the general public.

"Consistent with this transformative policy direction, all government offices must then ensure that their vital services are digitalized immediately,” Marcos said.

“Government must fully embrace digitalization to provide better service to the people, through its vital frontline services and its back-end functions,” he added.

Marcos said that digitalization would support the government’s data-driven and science-based planning and decision-making.

“It is the greatest, most powerful tool, not just to improve the ease of doing business, but also against many forms of graft and corruption,” he said.

The chief executive said that digitalization, in conjunction with the government's streamlining efforts, significantly boosted efficiency.

“Notable examples are in the areas of government payments, company and business registrations, issuance of permits and licenses, loan applications, and revenue collection," Marcos said.

"All our digitalization efforts will be linked to our payment systems, whose digital transformation has been accelerating at a remarkable rate,” he added.

Marcos said digital payments accounted for 42% of the total retail payments made in 2022, whether by businesses or individuals or by the government.

In its 2022 Status of Digital Payments report, the BSP said that the share in terms of volume of digital payments over total retail payments grew to 42.1% from 30.3% in 2021.

“Its high trajectory is now well-positioned to achieve Bangko Sentral’s target of 50% of total retail payments by this year,” he said.

Internet speed

Marcos said that the country’s internet speed has improved amid system upgrades.

“As of June of this year, our fixed broadband speed ranks 47th amongst 180 countries,” the President said.

“This ranking is 11 places higher than it was last year. Our mobile internet speed is now ranked 83rd out of 142 countries, which is eight places higher than it was last year,” he said.

Marcos also mentioned the entry of Starlink in the Philippines early this year as it is “now providing high-speed satellite broadband connectivity.”

“Our National Fiber Backbone and Broadband ng Masa projects will also deliver high-connectivity and high-speed internet. We are prioritizing geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” Marcos said.

“With our E-Commerce Roadmap firmly in place, we are poised to take this digitalization drive further and beyond, utilizing e-commerce to take full advantage of new technologies,” he added.

“Digitalization is the call of today; not the call of the future—but of the present. It is here. It is needed, and it is needed today,” Marcos said. —NB, GMA Integrated News