The Philippine Statistics Authority(PSA) has registered 17.4 million Filipinos under the national identification system during the first quarter of this year, an official said on Friday.

PSA Assistant Secretary Rosalinda Bautista, in the "Laging Handa" public briefing, said this is on top of the 10.6 million individuals who registerd from October to December last year in 32 provinces.

"From January to March, we continued (with the registration) but this time covering all provinces and we were able to list 17.4 million," she said.

She said registration continues this month but the priority are those in areas with low or no internet connectivity.

The official said PSA will soon open a online portal where those who were not able to register can log in.

After registration, which is the step 1, Bautista said those who registered have to eventually go the the nearest registration center for their biometirc information and then wait for the release of the ID with Philippine Identification System or PhilSys number.

As of April 20, she said 4.6 million Filipinos were to be issued with their IDs.

The PSA is targeting 70 million Filipinos to register for this year, Bautista said.

President Rodrigo Duterte was among the first Filipinos who were able to receive already their national ID.

Republic Act No. 11055, otherwise known as the Philippine Identification System Act, aims to establish a single national identification system for all citizens and resident aliens of the Philippines.

Signed into law by Duterte in August 2018, the valid proof of identity provided by the PhilSys shall be a means of simplifying public and private transactions, and shall be a social and economic platform that promotes seamless social service delivery and strengthening of financial inclusion for both public and private services. Celerina Monte/DMS