PSA EYES "PAPERLESS CENSUS"

The Philippine Statistics Authority- Regional Statistical Services Office-1 (PSA-RSS0-1) said a “paperless” conduct of census will speed up processing and generation of results.

Interim Regional Director Socrates L. Ramores of PSA said a paperless census can be achieved when respondents will make use of a web-based questionnaire in answering surveys.

"Respondents have the option to answer online or to download the document which will expedite processing and mean a faster generation of results,” Ramores said during the second World Statistics Day held November 20.

Meanwhile, the PSA said the annual per capita threshold in Region 1 for 2012, the latest Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), is at P18,373.00 with a 4.4 percent increase from 2009’s P17,595.

The 2012 data indicates that the region registered a 2.8 percent decrease in poverty incidence at 14 percent. La Union with a decrease of 7.1 percent, with only 15.3 percent poverty incidence.

Poverty incidence or the magnitude of poor is determined if the income and expenditure of a family or individual is less than the given poverty threshold.

Meanwhile, Region 1 registered a 3.9 percent subsistence incidence. Subsistence incidence is determined if the per capita income of a family or individual less than the per capita food threshold or the percentage of those who cannot afford to buy their food needs. An individual earning below P1,077 a month fall under the statistics of a subsistence poor.

In the agricultural sector, in terms of the total volume of production, region 1 ranks 4th in palay production at 10 percent, 1st in mango production at 34 percent, 1st in tobacco producing at 65 percent, 67 percent of the total production in garlic, and 34 percent in tomato production.

However, there is a decrease in all the livestock and poultry production for 2014 but slightly increased during the first 3 quarters of 2015, except for the cattle production.

As of the 2010 Census of Population, the cities of San Carlos, Dagupan and Lingayen in Pangasinan are the most populated cities/municipalities in the region.Region I has a share of 4,743.067 in the country’s population at a 1.23 percent growth rate.

The number of occupied housing units is at 1,015,798, according to their 6th Housing Census.

“We hope to finish the results of the 2015 Census of Population conducted last August by next year and eventually disseminate them and be utilized by the different agencies and the stakeholders in general,” Ramores said.

It was on Oct. 10, 2010 when the first World Statistics Day was celebrated. After this year, next World Statistics Day will be celebrated every after five years. # Source - (MCA/Joan D. Sabado/PIA-1, La Union).