The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) clarified on Thursday that persons with disabilities (PWD) IDs issued by local government units (LGUs) remain valid and are honored by business establishments while the unified PWD ID system is still in its pre-pilot stage.
“Sa kasalukuyan, ino-honor pa po ng mga iba’t ibang mga establisyemento yun pong mga luma na person with disabilities IDs na issued po ng kanilang mga lokal na pamahalaan,” said DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao.
Dumlao explained that the DSWD and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) are currently conducting pre-pilot orientations and technical tests in select areas to identify potential system issues before a full nationwide rollout.
“We’re still in the pilot run of the unified ID system and we target around 200,000 (persons with disabilities) because we also need to identify if there are any issues or gaps in the system that we need to enhance before we do the nationwide implementation,” she said.
The application, verification, and approval of the unified PWD ID will still be handled by LGUs through their respective Persons with Disability Affairs Offices.
Pilot tests are ongoing in several areas, including Pasay, Muntinlupa, Bulacan, Sta. Rosa, Pangasinan, Nueva Vizcaya, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Camarines Norte, Aklan, Bohol, Bukidnon, South Cotabato, and others.
One key security feature of the unified ID is a digital ID accessible via the DSWD website, mobile app, eGov app, or other web portals. It comes with a QR code for faster and more reliable online verification by business establishments.
“We will look at the result of our pilot implementation run para mas maging maayos po yung ating pagpapatupad ng programang ito… As much as possible, we want it to be convenient, easy, and more accessible for them,” Dumlao said.
The initiative is part of the Marcos administration’s efforts to combat fake PWD IDs and ensure better access to government programs for the vulnerable sector.