MAKATI CITY, Aug. 13 — The nationwide population count has begun with census enumerators visiting every household and institutional living quarter (ILQ) in all barangays.
About 90 thousand friendly enumerators (ENs) will ask basic information about the household members or ILQ residents, such as their age, sex, marital status, religious affiliation, highest educational attainment, and usual activity/occupation. The interview will take about 15 to 30 minutes. They will be wearing officially-issued ID card, bearing the signature of Dr. Lisa Grace S. Bersales, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA is primarily responsible for the nationwide conduct of the 2015 Census of Population (POPCEN 2015), pursuant to Republic Act No. 10625 (Philippine Statistical Act of 2013).
The main purpose of the mid-decade census is to update the population count in all barangays nationwide, in compliance with Executive Order No. 352 (Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector).
PSA needs the cooperation of the nation’s entire citizenry to ensure its success.
Earlier, President Benigno S. Aquino III issued Proclamation No. 1031 declaring August 2015 as National Census Month. He called on the citizenry “to support and cooperate in the POPCEN 2015 by providing complete and correct information to census enumerators.”
Section 25 of RA 10625 provides that “respondents of primary data collection activities such as censuses and sample surveys are obliged to give truthful and complete answers to statistical inquiries”.
All enumerators, team supervisors, census area supervisors, as well as PSA employees involved in the POPCEN 2015 are required to keep in strict confidence any information obtained during the census that pertains to any particular household or person.
This is in accordance with Section 26 of R.A. No. 10625, which stipulates that “individual data furnished by a respondent to statistical inquiries, surveys, and censuses of the PSA shall be considered privileged information and as such shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding”.
The PSA will release data gathered from the undertaking only in the form of summaries or statistical tables. As such, no information about an individual or institution will be revealed.
Population counts by province, city/municipality, and barangay will be submitted to the Office of the President for proclamation as official for all purposes. (PSA-NSCB)
