Retired Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon was among those who shared an experience about the national identification card (ID) amid renewed discussions about the government-issued card on Twitter.
The former poll official on Tuesday responded to a Twitter user who asked about the waiting time for receiving the physical ID card.
“Anyone who applied, already receive their National ID card? How long did it take to get it?” Data Ethics PH founder Dominic Ligot wrote.
“I applied for a national ID today. One of my mga anak told me it’s been a year and her ID has not arrived. Calling the @PSAgovph and Phil Post,” Guanzon responded in a quote tweet, tagging the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
PSA is the agency leading the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), which is the central identification platform of the government.
The national ID is also called PhilSys ID.
Meanwhile, Guanzon’s tweet has earned over 2,000 likes and almost 200 quote tweets so far.
Similar experiences
Some Filipinos also opened up about their experiences in the replies thread.
“IT TOOK ME 10 months! So apparently, 1 PSA staff told me that an officer in BSP (in charge of the printing) embezzled enormous funds from the budget in printing,” a Twitter user claimed.
- “Tinipid nila ‘yung printing w/c (which) resulted in pile of printing loads. Then idk (I don’t know) kung may case ba. BSP po ang may kalokohan.”
“I applied April or May last year and until today it still has not arrived. They also advised me to track it via their website but my ID number is not appearing,” another online user wrote.
“We got to talk to a [staffmember] in one of the national ID centers. Sabi there are different factors for the delay. It could be dahil hindi daw maayos ‘yung picture or ‘yung pag-print mismo ng ID. Bawal daw kasi ‘yung may lukot even the smallest one,” shared a different Filipino social media user.
- “You can track your IDs sa Philpost Tracking website. If not found daw it means naka’y BSP pa kasi naka-centralized sa kanila ‘yung data, like sila ‘yung nag p-process nationwide. If may tracking na, then ang point person mo na would be the PhilPost. You can opt to pick it up daw.”
- “Minsan may backlogs din daw sa PhilPost, like maraming IDs doon pero hindi na sh-ship out. Disclaimer, this is all what the staff told us.”
Ligot also answered Guanzon in her post.
“Median of everyone replying is around 6 months,” he said.
Another Twitter user also shared a picture of a supposed public advisory to the applicants about tracking their IDs. It reads:
Step 1: Visit the Philippine Post (PHILPost) website here http://tracking.phlpost.gov.ph
Step 2: Enter the transaction number in the transaction slip that was provided in Step 2.
Step 3: Click “Enter” to see the delivery status of your national ID.
Upon clicking Enter and if there is no result shown, the PSA said that the Phil ID is still in process. Remember, that Philpost delivery of your ID is free of charge. You can ask someone else to receive your ID as long as you leave a valid ID, authorization letter, and PhilSys transaction slip from the authorized recipient. OR YOU MAY CALL OUR HOTLINE: 1388
The national ID system aims to establish a single identification card or system for all citizens in the Philippines.
It shall be a valid proof of identity in means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools and the opening of bank accounts.
The national ID also seeks to boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government agencies where people will only need to present one ID card during transactions.
The delivery of the physical ID is estimated at six months after the individual has completed the registration.
Last April, Filipinos reminded PhilSys about their ID cards which they claim have not yet been delivered for a year already.
The keyword “National ID” also trended on Twitter a month before that, when Filipinos shared their grievances about the long waiting period for their cards.
It was unclear how the keyword had actually trended but at that time, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas was encouraging Filipinos to use it to help prevent red tape in the government.
The BSP is responsible for printing the national ID cards. Last November, it was reported that the operation was done on a 24/7 basis.