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| Secretary Uy reports on the national digitalization plan |
The Philippines is set to launch its first digital
national identification card in June, Department of Information Communication
and Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy told Filipino community members at
the Consulate on Sunday, Mar. 14.
According to Secretary Uy, the digital ID can be
generated through the eGovPH mobile app of DICT, and can be used by Filipinos
in transacting with government agencies and banks in lieu of the physical card.
But while all Filipinos can already download the
eGovPH app, they still need to register with the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) or at any of its registration centers first to obtain the digital ID. The list of the https://philsys.gov.ph/registration-center/
Those who had registered with the PSA previously but
have yet to pick up their physical ID can now obtain a copy of their digital copy
through the app.
Through this app, Uy said one could potentially:
1) - Obtain
a driver’s license
2) - Secure
a license from the Professional Registration Commission
3) - For overseas Filipino workers, obtain an overseas employment certificate and e-travel
4) - Secure
e-apostille documents from overseas posts, instead of getting documents
authenticated
5) - Integrate
one’s medical health records at PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance)
6) - Report
crimes to police within a 3-kilometer radius through the e-report function
7) - Apply
for jobs through the e-jobs matching service
8) - Make
electronic payment of taxes through eGovpay
9) - Buy
medicines remotely, and possibly have them delivered to various places in the
Philippines.
In all these transactions, one will no longer have
to go through the tedious process of filling out forms and submitting government-approved ID cards at
each government department because their digital national ID is all they need
to prove his or her identity, said Uy.
For example, a user can go to the Social Security
System and even without a smart phone, could still obtain services because the
government agency can check his or her credentials through the facial
recognition feature of the app.
The agency can also verify the person’s identity
through the unique and secure QR code that is assigned to each digital national
ID.
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| Various services one can avail of once the app is fully functional |
“Ang hirap
makipag transact sa gobyerno, napakadaming proseso, red tape, masalimuot,”
said Uy. (It’s so hard to transact with government, there are so many processes
involved, red tape, it’s very complicated).
He, however, cautioned that the process of
integrating all these services could take time, perhaps another year or two.
One of the biggest challenge at the moment, he said,
is to harmonize or standardize the data in each government department, such as
the way they format dates, “para iisa
lang ang data.” (So there is only one set of data).
Uy also said that the live facial recognition system
used in the app would make it hard for anyone to use one’s data to transact
business on his or her behalf.
“Each time you access your data there is live facial
authorization,” he explained. And since there are more than 100 facial
recognition points, he said the app can still recognize the user even if he/she
had cosmetic or corrective facial surgery.
He added that the app updates one’s facial
identification each time that person logs in, so that it will be still be able
to recognize him/her despite the changes in appearance through the years.
However, he admitted that cyber criminals are
well-organized and hone their tactics regularly, so it is always a challenge
for governments, especially those with a tight budget, to be always a step
ahead of them.
But he assured his audience that even if an agency’s
system is hacked, it would not mean all the other agencies they want to deal
with will have the same problem.
“Cyber security is multi-layered in the app itself,
and bawat ahensya ay may sariling cyber security,” he said.
In indirect reference to criticism about the recent
hacking of several key government agencies like PhilHealth, Uy said his office
would often warn various departments about a number of “vulnerabilities” in
their system that should be addressed, but they are often ignored.
As a result, he said DICT now conducts surprise
scanning of the websites of government agencies on its own, to prevent such
hackings.
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| The last-minute invitation to Uy's talk still drew a lot of Filcom leaders |
Earlier, the PSA announced that enrolments for the
PhilID have reached 85 million, with 50 million physical ID cards already
distributed out of the 54 million printed.
The printing of more cards is ongoing, and the PSA
expects that all those who have enrolled for the national ID could get their
cards by the end of the year.
All Filipino citizens are reminded that registration
for the PhilID is still ongoing in all of the countrys 86 registration centers.
Uy was in Hong Kong to attend the Innovation
Expositions in Smart Cities, which he said included three in the Philippines –Manila,
Cebu and Davao.
Consul General Germinia Aguilar-Usudan asked him to
take time off to explain how the country’s digitalization would affect
Filipinos who are abroad, particularly the OFWs.
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