Originally published in the DSWD Facebook page on 09 June 2023
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the World Bank’s West Africa Unique Identification for Regional Integration and Inclusion (WURI) jointly conducted a learning exchange on the Philippines’ social protection programs at the DSWD Central Office last June 9 (Friday).
The study visit by WURI representatives was aimed at exchanging knowledge and learnings, as well as forming a collaboration among participating countries on the implementation of digital identification and finding ways on how to integrate it with social services and social registries.
The learning exchange between DSWD and WURI also focused on the key strategies, challenges, and best practices in implementing the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys).
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was earlier forged between the DSWD and the PSA to adopt the PhylSys in the identification and verification of the beneficiaries of the Department, starting with the two main social welfare programs that include the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), which cater to 4 million family-beneficiaries and the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), which has some 7 million beneficiaries.
Another DSWD program, the Beneficiary FIRST Project (BFIRST), also uses the PhilSys in the identification of its beneficiaries.
BFIRST is a joint project of the Department and the World Bank that aims to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on poor Filipino families and to strengthen the DSWD’s social protection delivery systems to become more adaptive and efficient.
“The PhilSys use case pilot is one of the DSWD’s current initiatives. The program aims to provide a reliable and secure identification system for all Filipinos, which will enable them to access social protection services more efficiently,” Disaster Response and Management Group Undersecretary Manager Diana Rose Cajipe said.
“The pilot program is currently being implemented in selected areas, and we are already seeing positive results. We believe that this program has the potential to transform the delivery of social protection services in the country,” Undersecretary Cajipe, who also heads the Beneficiary FIRST Project, pointed out.
The delegates of the WURI primarily visited the Philippines to study the model of the country’s social protection delivery as well as the Department’s efforts in digital transformation.
“We understand that the WURI delegation is interested in learning more about the best practices and challenges of implementing social protection programs. We are happy to share our experiences and provide insights on how we have been able to effectively implement these programs. We also recognize that the context of each country is unique, and we look forward to learning from your experiences as well,” Undersecretary Cajipe said.
PhilSys is a secure, digital and interoperable platform of the Philippine Statistics Office (PSA) that uses APIs and technology to allow service providers to securely and instantly verify their clients' identity with high assurance, and to build their applications on top.
The DSWD continues to collaborate with international partners to improve its social service delivery by utilizing digital identification.