THE government has approved P2.16 billion for the conduct of the 2010 population and housing on May 17 to June 11 this year.

About 58,000 enumerators, 11,500 team supervisors, 3,300 census area supervisors, and 2,800 assistant census area supervisors will be involved in the census, the National Statistical Coordination Board said.

It said school teachers will be tapped as enumerators for the census, with a series of training programs to be provided from March 8 to May 1.

The budget will cover personal services, traveling expenses, supplies, printing expenses and other expenses.

The census is a nationwide undertaking by the National Statistics Office to know the total population and housing units by area in the country. The information it collects forms the basis of plans and programs for national and local development.

“It will be the 13th census of population and the sixth census of housing since the first census was conducted in 1903,” the statistical board said.

The last census was the 2007 Census of Population, which placed the total population in the at 88.57 million as of Aug. 1, 2007, with an estimated annual growth rate of 2.04 percent for the period 2000 to 2007.

The results of the final population counts by province, city, municipality and village are to be released before Dec. 31, 2010, while the details on demographic and housing characteristics are targeted for release in July 2011. Roderick T. dela Cruz