Duterte urges public cooperation for the 2020 national census

President Rodrigo Duterte has asked the public to cooperate in the 2020 census of population and housing that will begin in May.

Duterte issued the call through Proclamation 928 which declared May 2020 as the National Census Month. The President signed the proclamation on March 13 but was released to the media on Thursday.

“All citizens and residents of the Philippines are enjoined to cooperate with the Philippine Statistics Authority and its census enumerators in the conduct of the census by providing truthful and complete information in response to census questions, pursuant to law,” the proclamation stated.

“All administrators, authorities, and residents in condominiums, exclusive villages, and other areas with special concerns are enjoined to provide support in the census enumeration by granting access, among others, to deputized census enumerators,” it added.

He also directed all government agencies and instrumentalities, as well as enjoined local government units and the private sector to provide necessary support and assistance to the PSA.

The 2020 census involves the collection, compilation, evaluation, analysis, publication, and dissemination of data on population count, demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population, housing characteristics, household characteristics, and barangay characteristics in each barangay, city/municipality, province and region in the country.

It aims to provide government executives, policy makers, and planners with population and housing data on which to base their social and economic development plans, policies, and programs.

Among the information that will be asked from the respondents are population composition (sex, age, marital status), education and literacy, birth registration, religion, and ethnicity.

Malacañang instructed the PSA and its deputized officers and personnel to protect and ensure confidentiality of data and information obtained from the respondents, according to Memorandum Circular 76 issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on March 13.

The Palace said the PSA Board will act as the National Census Coordinating Board which will issue rules and regulations for the undertaking and completion of the May 2020 census.

The PSA said in January that the results of the final population counts by province, city, municipality, and barangay will be submitted to the President on or before December 31 for official proclamation.

The Commission on Population had said that the country’s population may have reached 109 million last year.—AOL, GMA News