NSO-7 head apologizes for sudden office closure

National Statistics Office Regional Director Lilia Tandoc yesterday apologized for the sudden closure of the National Statistics Office-Civil registration System department to facilitate the transfer of their office to Sudlon, barangay Lahug. 

Tandoc said they failed to notify the public on the suspension of these services as she only received the copy of the memorandum from NSO Administrator and Registrar General Carmelita Ericta last Friday afternoon.

NSO-CRS, which is tasked to process Civil Registry documents, were ordered closed effective July to facilitate their transfer to their new office in Lahug presently used by the Integrated Provincial Health Office.

The decision was done at an earlier schedule also because their office will be very busy bracing themselves for the upcoming population census.

Aside from that the transfer to the new building to Sudlon will hopefully eliminate fixers which have long been a problem of the NSO.

Aside from that, speculations of the inefficiency, and loss of property also came out as one of the reasons of the sudden suspension of the NSO-CRS during the press conference yesterday.

Tandoc admitted that they lost their June 16 collection worth P223,000 and she speculates the theft is an inside job.

Tandoc said that they only learned of the loss on June 18.  She said that they have already reported the matter to the Central Office and the Commission on Audit.

With the transfer, some 21 service contractors will also be allegedly displaced by the temporary closure.  Tandoc will be issuing a memo on the said matter.

Their CRS department has 21 service contractors and four regular employees.

With the closure of the NSO-7 office, Tandoc advised the public to secure their civil registry certificates from any of the six local government units who are partners of their Batch Request Entry System (BREQS).

These are the cities of Talisay and Danao and the municipalities of Bogo, Argao, Dalaguete and Carcar.

BREQS is a system provided by the National Statistics Office to the Local Government Units under a memorandum of agreement authorizing the LGUs to receive application or request for Civil Registry Documents are coursed through the Local Civil Registrars Office.  Application forms are stored in a diskette that will be submitted to the NSO Serbilis Center for indexing, verification, downloading, printing, sorting and releasing of the requested document.

The requested documents accepted by the LGU through BREQS will be processed through the BREQS receiving outlet which is temporarily located at the National Economic Development Authority office also in Lahug.

Today, NSO will be forging an agreement with additional partner cities who will be offering also of their BREQS and one of this city will be Cebu City.

Aside from BREQS, the public has an easer option to get their needed civil registry documents via the NSO Helpline Plus with numbers (02)737-1111 wherein payment will be coursed through Unionbank outlets.

Tandoc also said that a copy of the civil registry document can also be requested through Internet at www.ecensus.gov.ph.— Jasmin R. Uy/BRP