"But there is nothing to worry about," said Nicasio Agustin, chair of the Regional Census Coordinating Board.
Agustin assured that all data gathered would be kept confidential.
"When it is presented it would purely be in statistical figures, no attributions whatsoever to any specific individuals," Agustin added.
The 10-year census conducted by the National Statistics Office has been mandated by law under Batasang Pambansa 72. The law, dubbed as "An act providing for the taking of an integrated census every 10 years beginning in the year 1980," provides that a national census of population and other related data shall be taken every decade beginning in 1980.
Section 9 of the law provides a security clause that ensures the confidentiality of the data gathered. It provides that "data gathered pursuant to this Act shall not be used as evidence in any court or public office for or against any person."
The law explicitly expressed that the data to be published should only be in the form of summaries or statistical tables "in which no reference to an individual shall appear."
"Violators who would divulge unnecessary data would be dealt with the law," Agustin added.
As provided in the law, any person who would violate the confidentiality of the data gathered from the census will be fined or shall be placed in jail.
Agustin added that even the military or the police cannot look into the specifics of the survey data sheets.
"The data that we will gather cannot be investigated upon by anyone," Agustin assured.
