The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regrets the recent overcrowding incident on 19 May 2021 at a Step 2 Registration center at the Starmall, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience experienced by the scheduled registrants, and for the suspension of operations to manage the situation.

The PSA strictly abides by the standard health and safety protocols in all steps of the registration to the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). Because of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the PSA established the three-step registration process to ensure that these protocols are met by managing the number of registrants at a given registration center.

Unfortunately, an incident report dated 19 May 2021 stated that a huge crowd lined up to register for PhilSys at a registration center in Starmall, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. This was caused by the spread of false information that it was the last day of registration for a particular barangay, and that cash grants will be provided after the bank account opening. 

The PSA assures the public that a thorough investigation on the incident is being conducted in partnership with the local government unit of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. The public is hereby advised that PhilSys operations in Starmall, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan are temporarily suspended. Registrants affected will receive an SMS from the PSA regarding the suspension and when registration will resume.

Finally, for the health and safety of all concerned, the PSA would like to remind all registrants to strictly follow the appointment date and time for their Step 2 Registration to prevent similar incidents. We also advise the public to go to the PhilSys official website (https://philsys.gov.ph) and PhilSys Facebook page (facebook.com/PSAPhilSysOfficial) to check official advisories or verify information received from unofficial sources.

Thank you very much.

DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General