GENERAL CENSUS ON POPULATION AND HOUSING

On orders of Mayor James Gordon, Jr., the City Administrator’s Office headed by Ferdie Magrata held a joint meeting with representatives from the National Statistics Office (NSO), members of the regional/city census Coordinating Board, DILG and SBMA to discuss matters on General Census on Population and Housing pursuant to Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 which provides for the taking of an integrated census every ten (10) years.

“Napakahalaga ng census sa bawat lugar dahil dito makakagawa ng mga mahahalagang programa kaugnay ng pagbibigay ng serbisyo sa kalusugan, edukasyon, pabahay at marami pang iba,” Mayor Gordon explained.

During the meeting on March 10, 2010 at the Olongapo City Convention Center, the coordinating board discussed the specific measures which will be implemented before the census. Information drive is crucial to capture awareness of residents about Census of Population and Housing (CPH) .

“The 2010 CPH will be conducted to provide government planners, policy makers, and administrators with data on which to base their social and economic development plans and programs,” Silver Castillo, district supervisor officer of NSO explained.

Various uses of the statistics will be derived from the census.

In government:

-Redistricting and apportionment of congressional seats.

-allocation of resources and revenues

-creation of political and administrative units

-formulation of policies and plans concerning population and

-formulation of programs relative to the delivery of basic services for health, education, and housing among others.

In Business and Industry:

-determination of sites for establishing businesses

-determination of consumer demands for various goods and services

-determination of supply of labor for the production of goods and services

In Research and Academic Institutions:

-conduct of researches on population and other disciplines

-study of population growth and distribution as basis in preparing projections; and

-serves as sample frame for household-based surveys.

Census taking will begin on May 17, 2010 and will last for about 23 days. About 85 thousand census personnel including enumerators, team supervisors, census area supervisors and assistant census area supervisors will be mobilized for the nationwide undertaking.