National ID Boosts Financial Access for Over 24M Filipinos via GCash

Over 24 million Filipinos have used the Philippine Identification System ID, or the national ID, to open accounts on the e-wallet platform GCash, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced. "Bringing national ID and GCash registration services directly to barangays helps remove barriers to access, providing unbanked families with a trusted means of identification and easier access to essential financial services," National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis S. Mapa said in a media release. According to the PSA, as of May this year, 61% of newly created GCash users, equivalent to 24.4 million users, have used the national ID for account verification and creation. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has been pushing for the use of the national ID for verification across various online platforms. For instance, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) proposed an amendment to the memorandum circular governing subscriber identity module (SIM) registration. In a notice, the NTC proposed an amendment to Section 7A and related provisions of NTC Memorandum Circular No. 001-12-2022, which prescribes the rules and guidelines for the registration of new and existing SIMs of end-users. Under its proposal, the national ID should be the only acceptable identification document for SIM card registration. Earlier this week, the DICT reportedly asked Meta to integrate the national ID into account for user verification. Source: BusinessWorld Nation