Eye Opener
Were hundreds missed in August '07 census?
Though I am no longer with NSO, many friends told me that a sizeable portion of their barangays were not visited by Census enumerators since August 1 up to the culmination of the headcount last August 31. There is really big difference when enumerators are public school teachers than hired private enumerators. Census taking in our time was conducted during summer when the weather is good and teachers are on vacation. Teachers were given an honorarium and service credit for a month long house-to-house census count. Even in remote areas or mountainous places, teachers are available and they are willing to undertake the census count since the incentive is the service credit. Besides, the school principals and even district supervisors were hired as Census Supervisors and public school teachers were careful in not missing a household occupant since their bosses were checking on them (census enumerators). Public school teachers are very meticulous in paper work reporting and checking and if there was any unvisited household, the children will complain to their teachers that their parents and members of the households were not enumerated and the classroom teacher has to come back and enumerate the unvisited household.
It was reported that two weeks after the start of the census in August 2007, many hired private enumerators backed out and their assignment were taken over either by NSO employees or hired trained private enumerator. In the previous population census usually in the summer month, radio announcement were made that any person who was not counted in the census, he has to call the NSO office and immediately an NSO employee was sent to enumerate the household.
The advantage of hiring a public school teachers as a census enumerator is the fact that they are known in the community and respected by the residents. On the other hand, a hired private census enumerator may find difficulty in gaining access to the household since he might be suspected of being "Akyat Bahay Gang" member. Besides, the private enumerators after Census count, vanish in thin air and a follow up may be difficult.
NSO census supervisors are no doubt meticulous in their supervision but with thousands of households in the city proper and city districts and the duration of the census count is only good for one month, hundreds of households and persons will be unaccounted for. Even in the household of this columnist, no census enumerator or census supervisor has even visited the house and including the area.
If the August 2007 Population Census is not accurate and many bonafide household members were not counted, how can the government planners and policy makers project an accurate and reliable plans for the country's economic development? I am sure the problem of miscount is not only happening here in Iloilo or Western Visayas, but all over the country. Will there be an extension of the census enumeration or will government statisticians just make a reliable estimate based on existing data. Our country's statisticians are good in scientific projection more so in population. Many say that they are keeping their fingers crossed that the projection will not lead to "guesstimate".