2007 POPCEN – ARE YOU IN OR OUT?

Almost a year after the proposed 12th national census is supposed to be undertaken, the government finally gave its blessing and approved the budget allotted to the activity. The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) has already passed Resolution No. 6, Series of 2007 declaring August this year as the national census month. The wait for the conduct of the 12th Census of Population (2007 POPCEN) is over.

While many of our “kababayans” are still squabbling about the results of the recently concluded national elections, the National Statistics Office (NSO) has already pushed its preparations into high gear, in an attempt to organize its census machinery well before the target census day.

In La Union, like the rest of the country, hiring of census enumerators and support personnel is already on going. Unlike the decennial censuses that require public school teachers as enumerators as mandated by law, mid-year censuses need college graduates (or at least 2nd year college level) to form the bulk of its data collectors.

The census of population, simply put, is a complete count of all residents, both Filipinos (including overseas workers) and foreigners who have stayed or are expected to stay for at least a year in the Philippines. This also includes gathering of basic information about each individual such as age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and other demographic characteristics.

Since the turn of the 20th century, eleven censuses of population have been undertaken in the Philippines, and these were conducted in 1903, 1918, 1939, 1948, 1960, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1990, 1995 and 2000.

The 2007 POPCEN shall be undertaken to provide current data on population counts, which shall be among the bases for the Internal Revenue Allotment and the creation of new local government units (LGUs) and/or conversion of some of the existing LGUs to higher level, pursuant to the provisions of the 1991 Local Government Code.

Moreover, to continuously address the specific data requirements of the national government agencies and LGUs, especially in targeting beneficiaries of basic social services, the results of the POPCEN 2007 shall provide accurate and timely statistics on population at the smallest geographic area possible.

Census enumerators will gather population data through house-to-house visits and personal interview of the household head or any responsible member of the household. Special areas such as exclusive subdivisions and condominiums shall be enumerated using a self-administered questionnaire to be filled out by the respondent.

Institutional populations such as those living in hospitals, sanitaria, penitentiary, military camps, convents, seminaries, etc., shall also be covered.

While many people are still wary about providing personal information during censuses and surveys, the NSO guarantees that any information obtained in the enumeration shall be held strictly confidential as stated in Section 4 of Commonwealth Act No. 591. Moreover, the information will never be communicated to any person except bona fide employees of the NSO.

So, when the census enumerators come knocking on your door starting August 1, welcome them, answer the questions truthfully and be proud that you have been a part of it. Always bear in mind – “Impormasyong Tapat para sa Serbisyong Angkop at Sapat!”