Census taking an NSO mandate, not NSCB’s

THIS is in reaction to Kristine L. Alave’s news report titled “Voting populations improbably high; numbers don’t add up.” (Inquirer, 3/17/10) First, we wish to correct the information that the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) has a “census department” headed by Redencion Ignacio. Ignacio is a statistical coordination officer of NSCB’s Social Sector A Division.

Second, the National Statistics Office (NSO), not the NSCB, is the agency mandated by law to collect, by enumeration, information about the population and general purpose statistics.

For the 2007 Census of Population (Popcen 2007), originally intended as a mid-decade census, the census-takers were not teachers primarily because classes were already being held at the time the census was being done. It is only during a decennial census that teachers act as enumerators as mandated by law. The enumerators are hired only after screening and standard selection procedure.

For purposes of counting the population, the “de jure” concept or usual place of residence is used. As a rule, usual place of residence is defined as the place where a person usually sleeps. Thus, a person’s usual place of residence may be the same as or different from the place where he was found at the time of the census. On the other hand, the registration requirements for voters as per Comelec Resolution 8514 (Nov. 12, 2008) are: (1) a person should at least be 18 years of age; (2) has one-year residence in the Philippines; and (3) must have resided for six months in the place where he proposes to vote.

Moreover, the census counts being released by the NSO are based on accomplished census forms that underwent careful review and evaluation for completeness and correctness of entries. The enumerators who play the major role of gathering and accomplishing the census forms are required to undergo a week of extensive training to ensure that the collected information are correct, complete and strictly in accordance with the instructions, concepts and definition discussed in the Enumerator’s Manual.

During the actual census, close supervision of enumerators are observed at several layers. In fact, team supervisors (TS) closely supervise the enumerators; census area supervisors (CAS) supervise the TS in addition to NSO regional, provincial, district and central office supervisors.

Indeed, there were “ghost barangays” discovered in 1984. But, it should also be remembered that the NSO was instrumental in purging the list.

Moreover, we wish to emphasize that the results of the Popcen 2007 has been declared official in April 2008 by no less than the President herself through Proclamation 1489.
We cannot stop individuals or entities from expressing their opinions as to whether the official population count is valid or not; this is a free and democratic country. But the NSO remains confident that it has maintained integrity in all its undertakings and will continue to live up to its mission of providing world-class, quality statistical and civil registration products and services. –Philippine Daily Inquirer

—CARMELITA N. ERICTA,
administrator,
National Statistics Office