Registration for Davao unified ID to prioritize seniors, PWDs

Senior citizens at an event in Davao City. MindaNews file photo

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 May) – Senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) may register for the Dabawenyo Unified Citizen Identification Card also known as the DCitizen ID as early as September this year.

City councilor Bonz Andre Militar, chair of the city council committee on information, communications and technology, said the first phase of registration will prioritize around 20,000 PWDs and 160,000 senior citizens in the city.

“This is part of the phasing that we’re planning to do, we will first accommodate senior citizens and PWDs because they are the ones receiving city government subsidies,” Militar said in a press conference at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Tuesday afternoon.

He said a budget will be allocated for this initiative, which will be determined in the next supplemental budget of the city, anticipated to be approved before the 20th city council ends on June 30.

The ID service will be provided free of charge to all city residents, including temporary residents such as students.

To expedite the ID distribution, Militar said the local government will launch the DCitizen Caravan, where registration and issuance of the ID can be completed in just 15 to 20 minutes.

Militar said ID is designed to simplify citizen’s transactions with private and public institutions, as it serves as a valid proof of identity for all residents and transients.

It is also a tool to provide the city with a complete and accurate database for faster and more effective delivery of social services, and to serve as a centralized access point to all city government e-portals, he said.

Issuance and renewal is free of charge, he said.

He added that residents who have lived in the city for at least six months can avail of the identification card from city-led barangay registration caravans, at City Hall, and through online registration.

The validity of the DCitizen ID card depends on the applicant’s category — for residents aged 0 to 15 years, only an electronic card will be issued, valid for five years. Residents aged 15 years and one day to 17 years will receive a physical card, also valid for five years.  

Residents aged 18 and above will have a card valid for 10 years. For transients or individuals temporarily residing in the city, the card will be valid for one year.  

For PWDs, the card will be valid for five years. For senior citizens, it will have lifetime validity. (Ian Carl Espinosa/MindaNews)