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The Philippines is modernizing its healthcare system by integrating the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) for healthcare transactions, Biometric Update reported on April 16.
In late March, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to co-locate PhilSys, aiming to prevent fraudulent claims and ensure members receive their benefits.
The nation’s digital identity system will be implemented in the PhilHealth Check Utility (PCU). With the PCU, users can utilize their national IDs for healthcare verification. It will also allow real-time identity verification to help reduce duplication and streamline benefit access.
“By integrating PhilSys data, PCU allows us to verify identities in real-time, perform biometric checks, and ensure that records are accurate and up-to-date,” PhilHealth President and CEO Edwin Mercado said in the announcement.
The integration marks a significant achievement in the Philippines digital governance, according to PSA National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis Mapa. In a workshop held in February in Quezon City, PhilHealth representatives shared their experiences with user authentication utilizing the national ID, highlighting the growing adoption of this system across various government agencies. The workshop focused on integrating PhilSys with the national digital ID and examined how it can improve efficiency, reduce fraud, and enhance interoperability across government systems.
Republic Act No. 11055, commonly referred to as the “Philippine Identification System Act,” was enacted into law by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on August 6, 2018. This law designates the PSA as the main agency responsible for implementing the National ID system. Additionally, it establishes the PhilSys Policy and Coordination Council (PSPCC), which is tasked with developing policies and guidelines to ensure the successful execution of the National ID system.
The Philippines national digital ID and growth towards digitalization
The government issued 84 million digital IDs in March 2025, which are now used in over 100 million transactions across public and private services. Designed as a mobile-first system, the digital ID enables Filipinos to securely access services while sharing only necessary data, thereby improving efficiency. According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the initiative was successful, making services more efficient and paperless.
”Under his leadership, DICT successfully generated 84 million Digital IDs, allowing Filipinos to access essential services without relying on physical identification,” the DICT said at the time.
”This initiative streamlined transactions across national and local government agencies, banks, and other financial institutions, making government services more efficient and paperless,” it added.
An initiative that closely aligns with the ongoing rollout of the country’s PhilSys is the Senate Bill No. 2781, known as the “E-Governance Act.” In June of last year, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano urged the passage of the bill, which at its core aims to enforce interoperability across agencies through an Integrated Government Network and a centralized platform like the eGovPH App.
“[The E-Governance Act] is not per se the solution to all of our problems,” Cayetano said, “But it is a tool that, if used effectively and assigned properly to various agencies, can address many of our challenges today.”
The E-Governance Act and the Philippine Identification System Act are closely linked, as PhilSys provides the foundational digital identity that enables secure authentication across government platforms, while the E-Governance Act establishes the integrated digital infrastructure for delivering public services. Together, they support interoperability, streamline transactions, and reduce fraud by allowing agencies to rely on a single, verifiable ID system within a unified e-government ecosystem.
“E-governance refers to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by the government to deliver public service in a more friendly, convenient, affordable, efficient, and transparent manner,” Cayetano explained.
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