NSO-7 encourages public to cooperate during surveys

Wednesday 20th of June 2012

CEBU CITY, June 20 (PIA) -- The National Statistics Office in the region (NSO-7) encourages all establishments/individual to cooperate during the conduct of surveys in their area.

NSO-7 District Statistics Officer, North District, Baby Premne said the establishments or individuals who will not comply with the questionnaire will be charged of a criminal case.

Premne explained, under Commonwealth 591, Section 3, that any person who fails or refuses to accomplish such questionnaire or form received from the NSO within thirty days upon receipt, or any person who, in accomplishing any such questionnaire or form, knowingly gives data or information which shall prove to be materially untrue in any particular; or any person who signs such questionnaire or form after it has been accomplished in the knowledge that it is untrue in any particular will be punished with a fine of not more than six hundred pesos or by imprisonment of not more than six months, or both.

To date, NSO-7 filed a criminal case against one establishment in Cebu City for not accomplishing the questionnaire given by the enumerator. A demand letter will be sent to those establishments that will refuse to answer the questionnaire.

Meanwhile, NSO-7 Information Officer Noel Rafols said a Census Compliance Project, in partnership with the prosecutor’s office, was created to assign a fiscal who will handle the cases charged by the NSO to erring establishments or individuals who will refuse to comply regarding the data needed by the agency.

Premne said the conduct of any survey by the NSO is for statistical purposes, investigations, and studies of social and economic problems and conditions of the country and it should be taken seriously.

On the other hand, NSO-7 officials revealed that from June 1 to 15 this year, they were able to process 28,580 security papers from all Cebu outlets, while the Civil Registration System Serbilis Outlet in Cebu was able to process 13,750 documents.

NSO-7 Officer-in-Charge Candida Taghap also appreciated the installation of the Batch Request Query System (BREQS) in the local government units because it is a big help to the operations. Many people are now availing of NSO services through BREQS.

In the region, there are already 43 BREQS installed to various LGUs in Bohol and Cebu. The latest installation of BREQS is in SM Cosolacion, Cebu.

BREQS is a scheme where NSO authorizes the city government to receive request for NSO issued copies and certifications of civil registry documents from the public and issue the documents to its clientele. (mbcn/hfg/PIA-7 & NSO-7)