LUNA, Apayao – The Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) is gearing up for this year’s nationwide Population Census and Community-Based Monitoring System (POPCEN-CBMS) with the household census expected to begin in the next quarter.
Under Republic Act No. 11315, also known as the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Act, the PSA is mandated to conduct synchronized data collection under CBMS every three years. The most recent CBMS data collection conducted by PSA was in 2022.
In a recent development, PSA Apayao bared their detailed timeline of activities during the Joint Provincial Census Coordinating Board Meeting and Kapehan sa Kapitolyo on May 6.
CBMS Focal Person Dr. Chowen Jay Arellano disclosed that they are currently in the recruitment and training phase for enumerators, supervisors, and map and data processors for CBMS. These personnel will play critical roles in various tasks such as barangay data collection and processing, listing service facilities and government projects, collecting and processing household data, and geotagging service facilities and government projects.
In the previous 2022 CBMS, PSA Apayao employed 177 enumerators, 33 supervisors, and 27 map and data processors. This covered approximately 120,049 individuals across 28,613 households in 133 participating barangays within the province.
Dr. Arellano also outlined the roles and responsibilities of the Census-CBMS Coordinating Boards (CCBs) members in the province. The CCBs are tasked with overseeing and managing all matters pertaining to the implementation of the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS within their administrative jurisdiction. Alongside the support from CCB members, the cooperation of both government and private entities is crucial to ensuring the unified operation of the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS across all geographical and administrative levels, contributing significantly to its success.
It can be noted that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed PSA and other relevant government entities to conduct a census through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) to enhance the responsiveness and effectiveness of government anti-poverty and social protection initiatives.
Under the CBMS Act, PSA is mandated to implement this system by generating local-level data, serving as a foundation for targeting households for government programs focused on poverty alleviation and economic development.
The CBMS is a vital tool for collecting statistical and geospatial information crucial for local-level planning and beneficiary targeting. This enables local governments to make data-driven decisions and supports national government agencies in effectively targeting beneficiaries. By JCM
