The registration for the national identification system continued on Thursday here without any hitches.

Applicants lined up early at the Samal High School annex to register for Step 2 of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).

The second step involves taking biometrics that includes fingerprint, iris scan, and front-facing photograph.

PhilSys supervisor Daisy Mae Buenaventura said they started the Step 2 process in Samal last month with the target of registering 8,900 individuals.

“So far, we have finished registering under the second step some 5,291 applicants,” she said.

Buenaventura said they ensure that registrants follow strictly minimum safety protocols like wearing of face masks and shields, observing physical distancing, and application of sanitizers.

She said PhilSys targets to register 70 percent of the total population by the end of 2021.

The applicants finished PhilSys Step 1 registration last year.

The Philippine Statistics Authority said the first step involved the collection of the registrant’s information including full name, gender, date and place of birth, blood type, and address.

Issuance of the ID under the third step follows.

Signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in August 2018, Republic Act 11055, or the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national ID for all Filipinos and resident aliens.

The national ID will be a valid proof of identity that shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, enrollment in schools, and the opening of bank accounts.

It will also boost efficiency, especially in dealing with government services where people will only need to present one ID during transactions. (PNA)