Assistant National Statistician (ANS) Kristine Joy S. Briones of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Community-Based Statistics Service (CBSS) conducted a field visit on Sept. 9, 2024, to monitor the 2024 Census of Population and Community-Based Monitoring System (POPCEN-CBMS) operations in Guimaras province.
“The visit focused on assessing the household data collection and geotagging processes, ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of the census activities in the area,” Provincial Statistics Officer (PSO) Nelida B. Losare said.
Before the field visit, ANS Briones met with PSA Guimaras team supervisors and census area supervisors to discuss updates, challenges, and strategies to meet the target of enumerating all households by Sept. 30, 2024.
ANS Briones commended the POPCEN-CBMS team for covering 77.54% of households in the province as of the first week of September, surpassing the national average. She highlighted the vital role of enumerators and thanked field personnel for their dedication despite challenges such as inclement weather and health risks.
Key issues addressed during the meeting included the timely release of wages and boundary disputes in certain areas.
PSA Guimaras personnel, including POPCEN-CBMS focal persons and head census area supervisors, joined the meeting. Region and central office staff also accompanied ANS Briones.
Following the discussions, Briones and her team proceeded to Brgy. Sta. Teresa in Jordan for field supervision. Losare noted that one of the quality assurance mechanisms employed was spot-checking or reinterviewing households to ensure data reliability and accuracy.
“During the field visit, ANS Briones and her team conducted spot checks on randomly selected households in Sta. Teresa,” Losare said. The team reinterviewed respondents and compared the data with that gathered by the enumerators.
“This supervision approach enhances the credibility of the data collection process. It helps maintain the integrity of research, which is essential for evidence-based planning, data-driven program implementation, and impact monitoring at the local level,” Losare said.
The field visit concluded successfully, with ANS Briones stating that she plans to return for the POPCEN-CBMS data turnover ceremony, tentatively set for the first half of 2025.
