MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which oversees the registration for the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) or national ID, literally crosses seas to reach more Filipinos for the national ID registration.

This week, the PSA announced that it had launched its project called “PhilSys on Boat,” where PhilSys registration officers will use boats as mobile registration sites. The boats will be used by PSA personnel to reach Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) and far-flung coastal barangays only accessible by sea vehicles.

The project was initially tested in Barangay Tampalan, on the island of Malamawi in Isabela City, Basilan. The PSA said local statistics personnel used boats on October 31 and transported registration kits for the residents of the coastal barangay. Some of the registered individuals were able to immediately receive their printed ePhilID or temporary IDs.

As of October 27, a total of 81.49 million Filipinos are already registered for the national ID, the PSA said.

Aside from registration sites in boats, others who have yet to register can still go to fixed registration centers. The list of registration centers may be accessed here. Meanwhile, registered individuals can also check the availability of their temporary IDs here.

The PhilSys serves as the government’s central identification platform, and aims to simplify public and private transactions.

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Even before it became a law, the national ID system has been a controversial issue because some experts warned that it could potentially violate a person’s right to privacy. But the government refuted this, saying there are security mechanisms to protect the information that will be collected. (READ: Past attempts at a national ID system: A battleground of privacy, executive power)

The online registration for the national ID rolled out in April 2021. Last year, some Filipinos were dismayed after receiving their temporary ID printed in paper. The PSA explained that the the temporary IDs are digital versions of the said ID.

As of May 5 this year, over 30 million IDs have already been delivered by the Philippine Postal Corporation to registered Filipinos, the PSA announced, following the fire that raged and destroyed the Manila Central Post Office. The PSA said only national IDs set for delivery in Manila are affected by the fire. – Rappler.com