The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday said that refusal to accept, acknowledge and/or recognize Philippine Identification (PhilID) or national ID is punishable by the law.
In its statement, the PSA said that the penal provision of Section 19 of Republic Act 11055 states that any person or entity who without just and sufficient cause, shall refuse to accept, acknowledge and/or recognize the PhilID or PSN, subject to authentication, as the only official identification of the holder/possessor will be fined amounting to PHP500,000.
The national ID can be acquired by completing the steps of the registration under the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) project.
Step 1 is by signing up for free via https://register.philsys.gov.ph.
Step 2 involves the validation of supporting documents and the capture of biometric information.
It will be followed by the delivery of PhilSys Number (PSN) and PhilID card to the owner’s home address.
This IDs are non-trasferrable, according to PSA, as this shall be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrolment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.
It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present the PhilID during transactions.
