The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is encouraging all household beneficiaries with children aged 0-5 years to register their young family members to the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).

According to 4Ps National Program Manager and Director Gemma Gabuya, the PhilSys registration and authentication will serve as the equivalent of the beneficiaries’ compliance with the monthly Family Development Session (FDS) for the months of February to March. This is to help increase the number of children below five who will have access to the benefits of having a PhilSys-issued National Identification (ID) card.

“This initiative highlights the importance of securing identification for all 4Ps household members, particularly for 0-5-year-old children, as a proactive measure to improve their access to essential government programs in the future,” Director Gabuya said on Saturday (January 18).

To gain two (2) months FDS compliance, all members of the household, including children 0-5, should register.

“Households that availed the FDS equivalency must present either their transaction reference number (TRN) or PhilSys Card Number (PCN) and authenticate their registration during the Period One (P1 2025) covering the months of February to March of the compliance monitoring timeline. This ensures they fulfill program requirements necessary for cash grants while reducing barriers to identification at an early age,” Director Gabuya explained.

Director Gabuya said the inclusion of young children in PhilSys registration aligns with the directive of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian to maximize the reach of the National ID system among 4Ps households as part of the streamlining of government services.

It can be recalled that from October to November 2024, theh agency earlier implemented the FDS equivalency for the registration and authentication of 4Ps households with PhilSys, following the instruction of the DSWD chief.

“4Ps beneficiaries can register for PhilSys at designated registration centers, including barangay halls, malls, and FDS co-location venues, special sites organized by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as well as new registration centers which will be open in schools and daycare centers to accelerate the registration of the 4Ps children,” Director Gabuya said. (AKDL)