The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) are pushing forward with the nationwide rollout of the unified identification (ID) system for persons with disabilities (PWDs), an initiative designed to standardize registration, strengthen verification, and enhance protection across the country.

“We are actually on the rollout stage, so this initiative strengthens accessibility, ensures accurate records, and protects the rights of persons with disabilities in the Philippines,” NCDA spokesperson Atty. Walter Alava said during the DSWD’s Media Forum on Thursday.

Alava noted that a Senate inquiry last year estimated P88.2 billion in revenue losses due to widespread issuance of fake PWD ID cards, fueled by inconsistent processes among local government units (LGUs). These discrepancies resulted in validation gaps, incomplete records, and the issuing of fraudulent IDs.

To resolve this, the NCDA and DSWD developed a unified ID and database system to harmonize nationwide registration and verification. The effort supports Republic Act 10070 (PDAO Law) and aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).

The rollout is being executed in three phases:

• Phase 1 (August 2025): Pre-pilot testing in five LGUs — Manila, Pasay, Muntinlupa, San Miguel (Bulacan), and Sta. Rosa (Laguna).

• Phase 2: Capacity building across 35 LGUs, including training on encoding, verification, and system management.

• Phase 3: Regional implementation from October to November 2025 across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with 537 LGUs now trained.

The unified ID uses a unique QR code for verification and supports both digital and printed cards, with printing handled by LGUs.

Despite progress, challenges persist — including varying LGU readiness levels, personnel workload constraints, inconsistent internet connectivity, outdated equipment, and varying digital literacy among registrants.

To accommodate remote areas, the system includes offline registration capability. “Meron pong offline po na system, meron po siyang offline registration,” Alava explained.

Alava emphasized that rollout efforts continue and that full saturation is expected next year once all policies and manual operations are completed. He added that NCDA is coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to integrate the unified PWD ID system into the eGovPH App after full rollout.