The Philippine Statistical System (PSS) gears up preparations for the 2010 Census of Population and Housing in the country and as part of the United Nation’s 2010 World Population and Housing Census Programme.  The National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) as the highest policy-making body on statistical matters in the country, urges the public to provide utmost cooperation and support for the success of the 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH) which will be conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) from May 17 to June 11 this year, with May 1, 2010 as the reference date.  In accordance with the Commonwealth Act No. 591, Batas Pambansa Blg. 72 and Executive Order No. 121, the census is a nationwide undertaking that aims to get the inventory of the total population and housing units by area in the country and collect information about their characteristics, as basis for the formulation of rational plans and programs for national and local development.

The 2010 CPH has been granted clearance by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) under its Statistical Survey Review and Clearance System (SSRCS).  It will be the 13th census of population and the 6th census of housing since the first census was conducted in 1903. The following are the data/ information to be generated from the census: (1) the size, distribution and composition of the population in terms of age, sex and marital status in the Philippines; (2) birth registration, disability, functional difficulty, literacy, school attendance, place of school, highest educational attainment, residence five years ago, overseas employment, usual occupation, kind of business or industry, class of worker, place of work, fertility, religion, citizenship, ethnicity and functional difficulty; (3) the household characteristics, such as language/dialect generally spoken at home, presence of household conveniences/availability of information and communications technology devices, and internet access; (4) the housing units in the country and their characteristics, such as type of building/ house, construction materials of the roof and outer walls, tenure status of the house and lot, fuel used for lighting and cooking, source of water supply, toilet facility and manner of garbage disposal; and (5) the characteristics of the barangay, which will be used as basis for urban-rural classification.

Results of the 2007 Census of Population (POPCEN 2007) revealed that the total population in the Philippines has reached 88.57 million as of August 1, 2007 with an estimated annual growth rate of 2.04 percent for the period 2000 to 2007.  In 2007, (1) Cavite was the most populous province with 2.86 million people, followed by Bulacan and Pangasinan with 2.83 million and 2.65 million people, respectively;  (2) 37.3 percent of the total Philippine population were identified as residents in the CALABARZON, NCR and Central Luzon; and (3) among 32 highly urbanized cities (HUCs), Quezon City had the biggest population with 2.68 million people.

Five NSCB Executive Board Resolutions were issued in 2009 in preparation for the conduct of the 2010 CPH: (a) Endorsing to the President of the Philippines the issuance of a Presidential Proclamation entitled, “Declaring May 2010 as National Census Month”; (b) Endorsing to Congress, through the DBM, the approval of the 2010 CPH budget; (c) Enjoining Agencies to provide assistance to the NSO for the conduct of the 2010 CPH; (d) Designating the NSCB as the National Census Coordination Board (NCCB) for the 2010 CPH; and (e) Approving the Terms of Reference and Composition of the Regional, Provincial, City and Municipal Census Coordinating Boards in the conduct of the 2010 CPH. Likewise, a total budget of 2.16 billion pesos will be used to cover personal services, traveling expenses, supplies, printing expenses and others for the conduct of the 2010 Census.

About 58,000 enumerators, 11,500 team supervisors, 3,300 census area supervisors and 2,800 assistant census area supervisors will be involved in the conduct of the census. Department of Education (DepEd) school teachers will be tapped as enumerators for the census with the series of trainings to be provided from March 8 to May 1, 2010. 

Final population counts by province, city, municipality and barangay are set to be released before December 31, 2010, and will be rendered official upon the proclamation of the President of the Philippines. The details on demographic and housing characteristics, on the other hand, are targeted to be released in July 2011.

The clearance of the 2010 CPH has been granted through the SSRCS, a mechanism instituted by the NSCB through Memorandum Circular Nos. 4-88 and 04-95, which aims to: (1) ensure sound design for data collection; (2) minimize the burden placed upon respondents; (3) effect economy in statistical data collection; (4) achieve better coordination of government statistical activities, and (5) inform the private sector and the public in general that a government survey operation has passed clearance and enjoin their cooperation in the conduct of the survey.

LINA V. CASTRO
Officer-in-Charge
Office of the Secretary General

Contact Persons:

Ms. Millicent Gay B. Tejada and Ms. Patricia Anne L. Rivera
E-mail: mgb.tejada@nscb.gov.ph / pal.rivera@nscb.gov.ph
Telefax Nos.: 895-2436 and 890-9404