The Philippine Statistics Authority Regional Statistical Services Office 8 (PSA RSSO 8) joins the nationwide celebration of International Identity Month this September by intensifying its advocacy efforts for the National ID System and promoting the adoption of National ID Authentication Services (NIDAS) among government agencies, local government units (LGUs), private institutions, and other relying parties in Eastern Visayas.
Since 2025, PSA RSSO 8 has conducted various information and advocacy activities to encourage institutions to adopt NIDAS as a secure and reliable means of authenticating individual identities. A significant milestone was achieved on 24 June 2025, when the City Government of Maasin, Southern Leyte became the first city in the Philippines—and the only LGU in the Visayas at the time—to integrate NIDAS into its operations through its Local Civil Registry Office.
That momentum continues. To date, 95 NIDAS integration meetings have been conducted across Region 8, primarily with LGUs, to discuss the benefits, requirements, and onboarding process for NIDAS integration into existing local systems. Among those actively advancing through the onboarding pipeline, the City Government of Ormoc is currently at the technical clearance stage, while the municipalities of Laoang, Northern Samar, and Naval, Biliran are fulfilling the necessary requirements for onboarding.
NIDAS provides relying parties—including government agencies, banking and financial institutions, cooperatives, businesses, and social protection organizations—with high-level online authentication by matching individual credentials directly against information stored in the National ID Registry.
For organizational relying parties, Tier I and Tier II NIDAS offer secure API integration with internal systems. The service is currently offered free of charge for three years to qualified entities that complete onboarding and system integration. Following technical evaluations by the PSA and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), a memorandum of agreement is executed prior to the official public rollout.
Through sustained advocacy and technical support, PSA RSSO 8 continues to urge regional institutions to adopt NIDAS—helping strengthen identity verification, combat identity fraud, and ensure public and private services reach the right individuals efficiently. (PR)
