DILG, Baguio government doing separate barangay censuses

BAGUIO CITY — This city was supposed to be one of two pilot areas for the controversial national identification system (the other being Cebu City), but pending the implementation of the project, the city government has started laying the groundwork for a barangay census.

But before it could launch its barangay census, mainly for taxation purposes, it appears that the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG) has beaten it to the draw.

As early as July 18, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina issued Memorandum No. 2002-06 calling for a barangay census.

Lina cited Section 394 of the Local Government Code, authorizing barangay secretaries to keep updated records of their constituents.

The memo called for the initial preparation of the records of all residents by Aug. 15 to Oct. 30, according to a City Hall report. It, however, reached barangay officials only this month.

The census, Mayor Bernardo Vergara said, not only aims to set up a database for a demographic profile of city residents, but also for taxation purposes relative to existing city ordinances. – Aurora Alambra