PR-200804-R08-01
PRESS RELEASE
28 April 2008

In response to the need of the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte to provide their policy makers, local executives and development planners with a comprehensive map that can be used to locate the poor and describe their conditions, particularly at the municipal level, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) Regional Division 8, releases the 2004 and 2006 Poverty Maps of Southern Leyte in CD-ROM. 

The Poverty Mapping in Southern Leyte is an initial effort to provide a picture of the performance of the municipalities of the province, which is the least poor province in Eastern Visayas.  The activity was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the NSCB Regional Division 8 and the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte.  The NSCB has already generated poverty maps for the provinces of Eastern Samar, Leyte, Biliran and Northern Samar.

The poverty maps were generated based on the Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) indicators, comprising the three major concerns of Survival, Enabling, and Security, gathered by the Provincial Planning and Development Office from the local government units.  The methodology involves computation of municipal indexes of each of the MBN indicators.  These indexes are then plotted on the map using Geographic Information System (GIS) software.  The poverty maps of Southern Leyte were validated by the municipal LGUs and other stakeholders through a Users’ Forum.  

The Poverty Maps of Southern Leyte in CD-ROM is already available at the National Statistical Information Center (NSIC), Eastern Visayas Branch lodged at the National Statistical Coordination Board Regional Division 8 located at G/F Calzita Building, P. Zamora Street, Tacloban City.  For inquiries and other information needs, please contact the NSIC at (053) 325-7508 or email us at nscbru8@yahoo.com. 

EVANGELINE M. PARAN (Sgd.)
Regional Head