Ninety percent of the target households in the city have already been enumerated through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS). The remaining ten percent either “refused” to participate in the census or “failed to show up” during the scheduled enumeration.
This was revealed by Arch. Donna Tabangin, Chief of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), to the members of the Baguio City Council during the regular session last June 5.
According to Tabangin, since the data are not yet complete, they cannot be used at the moment to project or forecast future outcomes or simulate scenarios.
To make up for the incomplete data, Tabangin said their office will cross check with the surveys conducted by other government offices and departments.
Currently, the barangays are also being encouraged to update their respective databases to help expedite the data collection process.
Tabangin said, once available, the data may be shared to individuals or offices upon request in accordance with the Data Privacy law.
All data collectors and processors have signed the data privacy agreement to prevent any data privacy breach, Tabangin stressed.
Atty. Augustin Laban III, City Human Resource Management Officer and appointed Data Protection Officer, assured the council members that all necessary steps will be undertaken to safeguard the data being collected and processed through the CBMS.
The city council requested the CPDO to submit a list of categories of available data that can be accessed through the CBMS.
In 2021, a memorandum of agreement between the city government and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) was inked for the implementation of the CBMS in the city.
Pursuant to Republic Act No. 1135, otherwise known as the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Act, the PSA is mandated to partner with the local government units for the establishment of a CBMS all over the country.
A total budget of 45 million pesos has been earmarked for this project. The implementation of the CBMS is one of the 16 priority projects of the city government.
The CBMS is a localized version of data collection management which integrates disaggregated data in local planning, program implementation, and impact monitoring.
The CBMS database should be updated every three years. Since the implementation of the CBMS started in the city in 2021, the city government’s database will be updated in 2024.
In an earlier dialogue with the city council, Tabangin explained that an organized process of data collection and processing at the local level is critically important since the national census on population and housing undertaken by the PSA every five years does not include granular or specific data needed for program planning.
One component of the CBMS is the poverty profiling which aims to specifically determine the residents’ basic needs concerning health, nutrition, housing, water and sanitation, education, income, and peace and order.
According to Tabangin, the CBMS, through its geodata features, will help accelerate the provision of these services to the different areas in the city.
The CBMS also incorporates the gathering of information on the buildings/structures in the city and their locations that are essential for the updating of the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan and (CLUP) and zoning policies.
Other benefits the CBMS may provide through its expanded database include the streamlining of the issuance of building permits, business permits, and other requirements; identification of urban green areas in the city; crafting of data-based contingency plans; and strategic planning on mobility and transport; among others. **Jordan G. Habbiling
