As many Filipinos seek to acquire a Philippine Postal Corporation identification card as a primary ID, Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio maintained the document is not just for the said purpose but has its distinct use.

"The new postal ID, aside from being a valid ID, its main purpose is to address our remittances both international and domestic. This is one way of bringing back our remittance, which was originally the post office business. Because of inefficiency, it was lost, that's why we launched this kind of ID," Fulgencio said during his interview with the Daily Tribune's recent digital show Straight Talk.

He said the ID has unique features that would assist overseas Filipino workers in sending their remittances.

"It's not just to have a valid ID, since we already have a national ID. If you compare the Post Office ID with Philsys ID, they have separate purposes. The internal purpose of our ID is because of remittance because the way to do business now for remittance is to have a financial card. In 192 countries, postal IDs with financial features are being used," Fulgencio said, adding that fees in securing ID remain the same.

Getting a Post Office ID has a total fee, whether for first-time or renewal applications, of P504 (P450 postal ID card and delivery fee + P54 for 12 percent value-added tax).

Unique from others

As private courier services sprouted in the previous years, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, Fulgencio said the Post Office remains unique compared to private entities that offer the same services.

"We have increased our sales, particularly in the business mails, given our agency-to-agency agreement with the government as their courier providers. Examples of these are business mail coming from insurance, banks, and other companies, partnership from corporations, and express mail deliveries from overseas Filipinos," he added.

The Post Office, he said, is way different from private courier entities, as it holds the reputation as a member of the 192 postal administrations under the Universal Postal Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations.

"This strong partnership brings so many opportunities from the Post Office in terms of e-commerce and logistics," Fulgencio said.

Currently, the Post Office has a network in 1,134 cities and municipalities, hence, 70 percent of the total cities and municipalities in the country are given access to postal access, he said.

"The Post Office provides various advantages and opportunities to Filipinos and businesses by having convenient and efficient access, locally and globally, through the Universal Postal Union. For as low as P12, you can send your remittance using the Post Office," he said.

In July this year, Post Office partnered with UBX, the leading open finance platform in the Philippines, to launch "Kasama Lahat," a capacity development project that will transform the country's premier postal agency into a modern hub that offers financial and data services for everyone in the community.

The agreement was sealed between Fulgencio and UBX President John Januzczak, transforming each post office outlet into a community financial center, promoting financial inclusion, especially in far-flung areas of the country.

Under the partnership, UBX will provide the necessary technical knowledge in digital finance and open finance to hasten the Post Office's digital transformation journey. With its ubiquity and reach, the Post Office is well-positioned to provide customers with necessary financial services, through its network in cities and municipalities nationwide.

Through the Bangko sa Barangay Service of UBX, the Post Office will be able to transform thousands of its outlets nationwide into financial hubs, offering various types of services such as disbursements, fund transfers, cash withdrawals, loan applications, payments, insurance and collections, among others. `