The Philippine Statistics Authority-Iloilo Provincial Statistical Office (PSA-IPSO) is rapidly approaching its goal of registering the entire population of Iloilo after successfully onboarding nearly 2 million persons to the PhilSys in 2022.
As of December 31, 2022, a total of 1,950,025 Ilonggos have completed their Step 2 Registration, which involves capturing biometric information such as fingerprints, iris scans, and front-facing photographs.
This figure accounts for nearly 84% of the target population of 5 years old and over or 2.3 million Filipinos in the province.
Reaching this milestone was no easy feat, as PSA Iloilo faced numerous challenges along the way, including the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic disrupted many aspects of daily life and made it difficult for PSA to conduct in-person registration at its centers, especially in the early days of its operations.
Although restrictions were already eased, new challenges surfaced. Some citizens have yet to register, including bedridden senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and professionals who do not have the time to register because of their limited schedules or perhaps due to lack of interest.
In response, PSA had to adapt and find new ways to reach out to the public, such as conducting mobile registration and setting up registration centers in remote areas, and intensifying its information and education campaigns. The office remains committed to ensuring that all Filipinos have access to this important resource.
Ultimately, 2022 has relatively been a successful year for PhilSys operations.
Supervising Statistical Specialist Jerry Dolutan, PSA-IPSO officer-in-charge, credited the success to the collective efforts of all PhilSys Iloilo personnel and the conduct of mobile and institutional registrations, including initiatives in far-flung and remote areas and the successful registration of senior citizens through the conduct of house-to-house registration
For 2023, the office will continue to strive as it intends to ramp up its operations. Initial plans for 2023 include the roll-out of registration activities for resident aliens and those below 5 years of age. The establishment of PhilSys Centers with complete services for updating, renewal, re-issuance, and printing of ePhilIDs is also a priority.
Moreover, ePhilID issuance is still ongoing and will carry on until the next year. EPhilID deliveries run parallel with the conduct of Step 2 registration to allow residents an accessible venue for both Step 2 and Step 3.
The office encourages all Filipinos who have not yet completed their PhilSys registration to take advantage of this opportunity.
