WHEREAS, the national government's thrust to decentralize functions to the local government units, requires the need for an up-to-date and comprehensive data of the population at the local levels;

WHEREAS, the Local Government Code sets the population census counts as benchmarks for the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and for the creation of new or the conversion to a higher level of local government units;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 121, otherwise known as the Reorganization Act of the Philippine Statistical System, declared that the National Statistics Office (NSO) shall be the major statistical agency responsible for generating general-purpose statistics and for undertaking such censuses and surveys as may be designated by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB);

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 352 entitled "Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision Making of the Government and the Private Sector," issued on July 1, 1996, designates the conduct of the Mid-Decade Census of Population (POPCEN) every 10 years by the NSO;

WHEREAS, the Mid-Decade Census of Population was not conducted in 2005 due to budget constraints, in lieu of which, the 2007 Census of Population was planned;

WHEREAS, pursuant to the aforesaid need and Executive Order, the 2007 Census of Population will be conducted in August 2007;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare AUGUST 2007 AS NATIONAL CENSUS MONTH.

All department and other government agencies, including government-owned or controlled corporations, as well as local government units, are hereby enjoined to implement and execute the operational plans, directives, and orders of the NSCB, through the NSO, relative to this Proclamation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the Republic of the Philippines to be affixed.

Done in the City of Manila, this 2nd ay of August, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Seven.


By the President:

(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary