The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Calabarzon has officially launched the 2024 Census of Population and Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) in the region with the theme “Sa POPCEN at CBMS, Kasama Ka Sa Pag-Unlad Tungo Sa Bagong Pilipinas” this July 10.
A total of 70,000 enumerators will conduct house-to-house interviews throughout the country from July 15 to September 16, the PSA said.
“Layunin nito na makapagbigay ng updated na bilang ng populasyon sa ating bansa at listahan ng mga benepisyaryo sa social programs tulad ng Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program at iba pang programa at proyekto ng pamahalaan,” PSA Regional Director Charito Armonia explained during the forum.
“Sa pamamagitan ng POPCEN-CBMS, makikita ng pamahalaan ang tunay na kalagayan ng bawat komunidad sa bawat sulok ng ating rehiyon,” she added.
CBMS is an organized technology-based system of collecting, processing, and validating necessary data that may be used for planning, program implementation, and impact monitoring at the community or local level.
It started in 2021 with more than 200,000 households interviewed.
“Malaking tulong ito upang ating maunawaan ang pangangailangan ng bawat pamahayan sa aspeto ng kalusugan, edukasyon, tirahan, patubig, trabaho, at kaayusan sa kapaligiran,” Armonia noted.
“To identify how we can help our people better, we need to get to know our people better and most importantly, to gather accurate and adequate data,” Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Director Ariel Iglesia added.
Better programs
“With the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS providing us a snapshot of our population, we can better streamline the beneficiary list for social protection programs and guide the equitable distribution of resources,” National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Agnes Tolentino said.
“At NEDA, we are committed to data-driven governance, we consider accurate and comprehensive data essential for informed policy-making, effective planning, and efficient resource allocation,” she added.
According to Tolentino, data from this program is a crucial source for policymakers, planners, decision-makers, and even members of the private sector and academe for research purposes.
Safety and privacy
In Calabarzon, a total of 12,811 field personnel, 10,681 of which are enumerators, will be deployed to conduct interviews expected to last 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To avoid scams, PSA staff will be wearing a uniform with the PSA logo, a bag, and an ID card with the picture, name, and signature of the enumerator and the signature of Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa, PhD as the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General.
Residents can also do a background check by contacting the provincial statistical office or going to the barangay hall for verification.
PSA also emphasized that their staff would never ask for any confidential information about financial and bank statements such as account number, PIN, or password.
Staff are also not allowed to solicit money and such, or sell products and services supposed to be from PSA.
All data which will be gathered are also protected under the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
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