ILOILO CITY- The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) here said that 1,399,685 residents of Iloilo province have already received their Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) card, either in digital or physical format, as of January this year.

Jerry Dolutan, supervising statistical specialist and officer-in-charge of the Iloilo Provincial Statistical Office, quoted the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhlPost) report as of December 2022 that at least 978,894 physical cards were received for Iloilo and 946,348 have been delivered.

Meanwhile, 453,337 Philsys Digital ID (ePhilID) were issued as of January this year.

"The ePhilID, which serves as a crucial national identification document, is a part of the PSA's proactive strategy to allow the immediate use of PhilSys as a valid proof of identity and age, subject to authentication," he said in an interview on Friday.

He added that it can function equally as the physical ID cards and be accepted in both government and private establishments requiring proof of identity.

The ePhilID contains advanced security features such as a QR code that utilizes public-private key cryptography to protect the information stored within it from tampering, he added.

The QR code also includes the registered person's facial photograph, providing an additional layer of security during verification.

The PSA central office generates the IDs forwarded to the Iloilo office for printing and delivery to their owners.

The delivered physical and digital IDs account for some 71.64 percent of the 1,953,873 residents of Iloilo who have already registered with PhilSys as of Jan. 31.

PSA data showed that those who registered comprised 77.86 percent of the 2,509,525 total population of Iloilo.

"For 2023 the office intends to ramp up its operations," he added.

The initial plan, he said, includes the rollout of the registration activities for resident aliens and those below five years of age.

It will also prioritize the establishment of PhilSys Centers with complete services for updating, renewal, re-issuance, and printing of ePhilIDs.

Dolutan added that all registered provincial residents will still be allocated with their physical PhilSys ID card to be delivered to their indicated address. (PNA)