by Rhoda Wilson, Expose News:
The Philippines has recently announced that children who are four years old or younger can now register for the country’s digital ID system, which is called the Philippine Identification System or PhilSys.
Meanwhile, starting in the last quarter of 2024, the government of the Cayman Islands has proposed a plan to issue eIDs, which are physical and electronic identity cards, to adults and children of all ages.
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Philippines Digital IDs
The government of the Philippines is currently conducting a nationwide registration drive for PhilSys. The goal is to have 92 million Filipinos registered by June of this year. To reach this target, mobile teams have been deployed to isolated areas, and special PhilSys boats have been utilised to help with registration. As of March, there were already 85 million residents registered in the system.
When signing up for the ID system, individuals are usually required to provide biometric information such as fingerprints, iris scans and facial images. However, registering children will only require demographic data and a photograph. The Philippine Statistics Authority in the Central Visayas region is responsible for implementing the digital ID system and will only capture the children’s biometrics once they reach the age of five.
Cebu Daily News reported that children’s PhilSys Number (PSN) will be linked to their parents or legal guardians. Their biographic and biometric data will be recaptured at the age of 15.
Cayman Island Digital IDs
In December of last year, the Cayman Islands passed the Identification Register Bill. This bill paves the way for the launch of ID cards and a digital identity register by mid-June 2024. The project will cost roughly CI$8 million (US$9.6 million or £7.5 million) and additional regulations need to be finalised by the end of this year.
The government initially planned to make it compulsory for everyone to enrol in the ID register, but they dropped the plan after pressure from the opposition. Although the IDs are not mandatory, government officials discussed the various benefits of having a digital ID card, such as making travel easier and enabling more people to open bank accounts.
The government of the Cayman Islands has announced that the first batch of new IDs will be distributed to the elderly and young citizens. They will be followed by the rest of the population, who are scheduled to receive the cards in 2025. The government has targeted the distribution of IDs to the older and younger population as they may not have passports or other forms of identification.
According to Cayman Compass, parents will be able to sign up their children for a national digital ID card at any age, with the option to include a QR code for an emergency contact number.
