Saturday, February 10, 2007
Beyond the numbers and statistics
By Carlo P. Mallo
HEADING an office that serves an average of over a thousand people a day is no easy task.
And that is simply, as the cliché goes, the tip of the iceberg of the responsibilities of the position of Raul Gomez, the newly appointed regional director of the National Statistics Office (NSO) for Southern Mindanao.
Part of his responsibilities include ensuring the swift and accurate processing of over 3,000 documents per day, and the gathering of data from the various government agencies in the region.
As the main thrust of the NSO, the major statistics agency, is to collect, compile, classify, produce, publish, and disseminate general-purpose statistics as mandated by law.
Gomez has been serving the agency for the past 34 years. He directly went into the NSO after earning his bachelor's degree from the University of Santo Tomas. Prior to his appointment as regional director, he served the agency as head of the NSO-Southern Mindanao Provincial Office for Davao del Sur.
NSO-Southern Mindanao has always been under fire for the long queues of those transacting with the agency.
Radio stations and other media outlets have continually received complaints from various people regarding the grueling processes at NSO-Southern Mindanao.
Gomez, however, assured the inconvenience is not deliberate, but that there's just too many people demanding their services and very little space to work around in.
"The convenience of our clients has always been my primary concern and I am asking for their patience as we still have to improve on a lot of aspects," he said.
He added that his agency has started scouting for a new building with a ground floor.
At present, they are renting a space on the third floor of a building that has no elevator, making it most difficult for the elderly and the differently-abled and even the rest of the public.
Despite the never-ending long lines and the grumbling clients, the NSO-Southern Mindanao holds the track record of being the fastest and most efficient in the processing of documents in Mindanao.
There are over 10 Civil Registry System (CRS) outlets in Mindanao. A CRS outlet is the arm of NSO that processes and releases NSO-authenticated documents such as birth certificates and certificates of no marriage.
It was also found out that a significant number of people from the neighboring provinces, despite the presence of a CRS outlet in their province, would still opt to travel to the city.
Several other concerns plague the agency. The most common of which is the proliferation of fixers, with promises faster services for a certain amount of money.
Although there has been no formal complaint received by his office, Gomez is ensuring that the processing time of documents is fast enough so that the people would not have to resort to fixers.
Also with the advancements in technology, there were recent complaints received regarding the production of counterfeit "NSO authenticated" documents.
Gomez reminds the public to only get their "NSO authenticated" documents directly from the office.
Being the head of the office, Gomez would want to impart to his colleagues his well-disciplined demeanor.
He wishes that the employees of NSO-Southern Mindanao would be prompt in the delivery of services to the public.
Gomez also ensures that there is good camaraderie amongst NSO-Southern Mindanao employees.
Before going to his office, Gomez would usually make rounds in the various departments.
Gomez admits that his office has lapses and that there is still much room for improvement.
However, he calls on the public to cooperate with his agency for the betterment of everyone.
He stresses that it is only through cooperation that better services could be rendered and a harmonious relationship would ensue.For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 10, 2007 issue)
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