PSA to start data collection for 2024 census on July 15

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Tuesday that it is set to deploy at least 70,000 enumerators across the country to collect information on the nation’s population and the list of beneficiaries of social protection initiatives.

The PSA said the enumeration period will officially start next Monday, July 15, 2024, after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered a census update on the list of beneficiaries of the government’s social protection programs.

The initiative will be done through the PSA’s Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS), which will be integrated with the Census of Population (POPCEN) ahead of the original schedule of 2025.

“Data derived from this activity will serve as our nation’s driving force, fueling the government's social and economic development plans, policies, and programs that would benefit every Filipino,” national statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said.

“It’s a cost-efficient strategy, and we, at the PSA, remain committed to our mission to deliver relevant and reliable statistics to stakeholders,” he added.

According to the PSA, data from the POPCEN-CBMS will serve as a basis for targeting households in the planning, formulation, and implementation of programs and projects that aim to alleviate poverty in the country.

Last November, Marcos, through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, issued Memorandum Circular 40, which approved the Philippine Population and Development Plan of Action (PPD-POA) for 2023–2028.

The circular provides that the PPD-POA will serve as the overall blueprint for inter-agency collaboration in efforts to optimize demographic opportunities and address remaining population challenges. —VBL, GMA Integrated News