The Philippines has issued 84 million digital IDs, which have been used in over 100 million transactions across the private and public sectors, the country’s information and communications technology (ICT) agency has revealed.
The Southeast Asian nation has been on a digitalization campaign for years now, anchored on a digital ID that Filipinos can store on their mobile phones. They can use this ID to access government or private sector services, sharing only the required information.
According to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), this initiative has been a great success. It has made access to services “more efficient and paperless,” the agency stated in its announcement.
Speaking to local news outlet GMA News, DICT Undersecretary David Almirol Jr. noted that the initiative is about much more than just an easier identification method.
“The digital national ID is more than just an ID—it’s the foundation of a truly digital government. It enables seamless access to services, reduces red tape, and fosters trust between citizens and the government,” he stated.
The digital ID campaign is part of the digitalization of the Filipino government. The country’s lawmakers are debating a bill tabled in January—the E-Governance Act—which seeks to digitalize all government services under one framework.
One of the anchors of this digitalization is the eGovPH Super App, a one-stop platform via which Filipinos can access just about every government service.
“This is just the beginning. We are continuously improving and adding more services to enhance the user experience,” Almirol said.
The digitalization is powered by emerging technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). Blockchain was first introduced in early 2024 and was integrated into the digitalization infrastructure under eGovchain, a government blockchain network. Blockchain enhances privacy, security and transparency, allowing citizens to choose which information they share with government agencies.
The digital ID in the Philippines has been attributed to Ivan John Uy, the former DICT secretary who resigned earlier this month.
While the Philippines has taken an early lead, other Southeast Asian nations have been pushing digital IDs in recent years. According to Jonathan Marskell, a senior digital development specialist at the World Bank, Vietnam and Thailand have issued over 20 million digital IDs, with Indonesia at 14 million, as Malaysia lags behind its neighbors with 1.4 million.
Watch Digital identity for digital Philippines: Here are some use cases
title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen=””>
