PSA to replace nat’l IDs affected by Manila Post Office fire

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 22) — All national IDs affected by the fire that hit the Manila Central Post Office on Sunday will be replaced, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Monday.

READ: Historic Manila Central Post Office fire ‘totally burned’

“We assure the public that the PhilIDs affected by the fire shall be replaced by the PSA at no additional cost to concerned registered persons, following protocols set by the PSA for such scenarios,” the statement read.

The PSA also clarified that only the national IDs for delivery in the City of Manila were affected by the fire, and its number is still being determined in coordination with the Philippine Postal Corporation.

“We also wish to clarify that PhilIDs for delivery of the PHLPost are sorted and stored at the PHLPost Central Mail Exchange Center (CMEC) in Pasay City and were unaffected by the fire,” PSA said.

Earlier, the PSA said the influx of registrants is the cause of delay in printing and delivery of the national IDs, as the agency did not expect the high number of registrants.

Last May 3, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III urged the Senate Blue Ribbon panel to start an investigation into the delays in the issuance of the national ID.

He also pointed out the discrepancy between the reported number of delivered IDs by the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas and the Commission on Audit.