By Mariela Angella Oladive
The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) in Region 6 (Western Visayas) has successfully registered over 96 percent of its target population.
As of May 14, 2024, a total of 6,632,789 individuals out of an estimated 6.9 million have completed their registration.
In light of this achievement, the PSA-6 is now urging parents and guardians to register their children under five years old.
Jared Barile, PhilSys focal person for Western Visayas, highlighted the importance of registering young children in the system.
Barile noted that the current registrations account for 83 percent of the region’s total population, as per the 2020 Census of Population and Housing (CPH).
“To achieve full registration, we are focusing on enlisting children below five years old,” Barile stated during a press briefing.
“We are urging parents and guardians to start registering their children aged one to four years old. Having a PhilSys ID puts toddlers one step ahead by providing them with a valid identification document early on,” he added.
To date, only about 29,956 or 3.9 percent of the projected 767,866 children aged zero to four years in the region have been registered.
The breakdown by province includes 10,338 children from Aklan, 6,295 from Antique, 3,886 from Capiz, 1,585 from Guimaras, 5,303 from Iloilo, and 2,549 from Negros Occidental.
The PSA has established fixed registration sites across each province and highly urbanized city, supplemented by mobile registrations to expand access.
Children must be accompanied by a parent or a guardian at registration. Parents must present a PhilID, while guardians are required to have an authorization letter from the parent and their own PhilID.
Required documents for registering children include the child’s birth certificate or any legal document showing the child’s full name, date and place of birth, and the full names of the parents.
As of now, over 4.31 million individuals in Western Visayas have received their physical PhilID cards, while more than 2.56 million have been issued electronic copies.
PSA officer-in-charge Regional Director Nelida Amolar emphasized the ongoing efforts to increase registration, aiming to meet the national target of registering 99.9 percent of Filipinos by next year.
“We are committed to registering 92 million Filipinos by June 30. This aligns with our commitment to the President before his second State of the Nation Address,” Amolar concluded.
