CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The Regional Statistics Committee (RSC) of the Regional Development Council in Northern Mindanao is firming up preparations for this year’s nationwide Population Census and Community-Based Monitoring System (POPCEN-CBMS).
The RSC convened on June 13 to finalize the composition of the Regional Census-CBMS Coordinating Board (RCCB) for the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS. The RCCB will oversee and manage all aspects of the census implementation.
During the meeting, Supervising Statistical Specialist Brenda Lynn M. Castro from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-10 discussed RCCB members’ roles and responsibilities, emphasizing their importance in ensuring the smooth operation of the census and data collection for local planning and beneficiary targeting.
“The POPCEN aims to provide population data for government executives, policymakers, and planners to base their development plans, policies, and programs. The CBMS aims to generate updated and disaggregated data necessary for beneficiary targeting, poverty analysis, needs prioritization, policy design, interventions, and impact monitoring over time,” said Castro.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. had previously directed the PSA and other relevant government entities to conduct the census through CBMS in order to improve the effectiveness of government anti-poverty and social protection initiatives.
Castro said that the census will collect new information about the population, people who are eligible to receive government social assistance, voters in the 2025 midterm elections and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections, local government unit tax allocation shares, and how to implement Republic Act No. 11964, also known as the Automatic Income Classification of Local Government Units Act.
It will also help to optimize government resources by capturing service facilities and infrastructure projects implemented by barangays.
The census will cover all barangays nationwide, including homeless populations, those in temporary shelters, and Filipinos residing in embassies, missions, and consulates abroad.
Castro announced that the enumeration period will run from July 15 to September 16.
The RSC-10 also discussed updates on the 2022 CBMS, the status of the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS Barangay Profile Questionnaire and Data Collection for Service Facilities and Government Projects, and plans for the 35th National Statistics Month Celebration. Additionally, the RSC-10 endorsed the PSA-LGU Data Sharing for Business Registers Project to the RDC-10 for support. (APB/PIA-10)
