THE National Statistics Office (NSO) in Northern Mindanao kicked off Monday its 2010 Census of Population and Housing with Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Constantino G. Jaraula as the first respondent.
Juliet M. Nacario, NSO district statistics officer, said the census is conducted to make a total inventory of the population including its democratic, economic and housing characteristics.
She said the data gathered would be used by the city administrators and government officials in planning and realizing particular projects and identification of internal revenue allotments (IRA).
For Misamis Oriental, Marilou Igdon, NSO provincial statistics officer, said some 800 teachers from the province are involved to collect data from households using face-to-face interviews and questionnaires.
The census is expected to end by June.
Nacario said 50 personnel are hired to replace the teachers once classes start in early June.
During a press conference held Monday at the Provincial Capitol, Igdon called on the barangay chairpersons to help the enumerators in locating the residents in their barangays.
With this, Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno, who also chairs the Provincial Census Board, urged the local government units (LGUs) to be cooperative with this campaign.
"This will also help elevate all municipalities to higher level so I hope that mayors will consider this census and be cooperative," Moreno said.
Based on the 2007 census, Misamis Oriental had a population of 748,885 while Cagayan de Oro had 553,966.
Jaraula also called on the people of Cagayan de Oro "to assist and cooperate with the census takers."
"Cagayan de Oro has long suffered the deficiency in census. People should cooperate because it will become the basis of the project implementation in the city. If people will fail to cooperate, there will be limited funding from the national government corresponding to the total number of population," Jaraula said. (With Mercie Belandres, MSU-Marawi Intern)