WHEREAS, Section 6 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10625 or the "Philippine Statistical Act of 2013", mandates the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to prepare and conduct periodic censuses on population, housing, agriculture, fisheries, business, industry and other sectors of the economy;

WHEREAS, Sections2 and 5 of RA No. 11315 or the "Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) Act of 2019", states that: (i) the state shall adopt a community-based monitoring System which generates updated and disaggregated data necessary in targeting beneficiaries, conducting more comprehensive poverty analysis and needs prioritization, designing appropriate policies and interventions, and monitoring impact over time; and (ii) the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA No. 11315 may provide for a separate period for data collection depending on the needs of national government agencies;

WHEREAS, Executive Order (EO) No. 352 (s. 1996) requires the conduct of the following nationwide censuses and surveys and the maintenance/processing of administrative-based records on a regular basis: (i) census of population (POPCEN) every five (50 years;

WHEREAS, PSA Board Resolution No. 6 (s. 2024) recommends the conduct of the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS from July to September 2024, with 1 July 2024 as the reference date, and declares July 2024 as the "National Census and CBMS Month";

WHEREAS, the POPCEN-CBMS shall be a nationwide government undertaking that will involve the collection, compilation, evaluation, analysis, publication, and dissemination of data on population count, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population, housing statistics, and other relevant data in each barangay, municipality, city, province, and region in the country;

WHEREAS, the regular conduct of POPCEN-CBMS supports the decentralization of functions to local government units, and equips government executives, policymakers and planners with current and comprehensive population data to develop informed social and economic development plans, policies, and programs; and

WHEREAS, Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all the executive departments, bureaus and offices and the mandate to ensure the faithful execution of laws;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND R, MARCOS, JR., President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby declare July 2024 as the "National Census and Community-Based Monitoring System Month."

For this purpose, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), through the PSA, is hereby directed to lead, coordinate, and supervise the observance of the National Census and CBMS Month.

All agencies and instrumentalities of the National Government, including government-owned or -controlled corporations and state universities and colleges, are hereby directed, and all local government units, non-government organizations, professional associations, and the private sector, are hereby encouraged to render the necessary support and assistance to NEDA and PSA, and to actively participate in the observance of the National Census and CBMS Month.

All citizens and residents of the Philippines are encouraged to cooperate with the PSA and its census enumerators in the conduct of the 2024 POPCEN-CBMS, by providing truthful and complete information in response to census questions, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.

DONE, in the City of Manila, this 9^th day of July, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-Four.