Chapter 9 STRATEGIES AND GUIDELINES FOR SPECIAL AREAS

Before the conduct of the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (2022 CAF) operation, the Regional Statistical Services Offices (RSSOs)/Provincial Statistical Offices (PSOs) were provided with the list of sample barangays and workload analysis for the computation of corresponding workload, mandays, manpower requirement, and other information. They were also asked to identify the topography and characteristics of each sample barangay/Enumeration Area (EA), as this will help recognize areas in the sample barangay that need certain approaches.

The sample barangays/EAs with special concerns, appropriate strategies have been recommended for adoption in the different phases of census field operations.

This section presents the types of special areas and discusses the specific guidelines and strategies in covering these areas. As part of the terms of reference of the 2022 CAF Working Group on Special Areas, experiences and challenges encountered in conducting census in these types of areas were discussed to focus on the problems of each type of Special Area. Sub-groups were created to further formulate specific strategies (Figure 9.1).

9.1 AREAS NEEDING SPECIAL STRATEGIES

1. Peace and Order Problem

Some barangays/EAs may not be penetrated because of unstable peace and order situation at the time of the enumeration. Classified under this category are the following:

(a) clan/family feuds, (b) tribal war, (c) ongoing military operation, and (d) presence of rebel camp.

To successfully infiltrate these areas, the guidelines are as follows: a. Coordinate with Local Government Unit (LGU) Chief Executive through letter/visit/meetings to solicit suggestions and recommendations on how to penetrate the area (Figure 9.2); b. Conduct massive information dissemination activities such as TV/radio interviews, social media and census announcements; c. Request for assistance for security from the LGU and conduct of enumeration by team; 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries Philippine Statistics Authority d. Coordinate with barangay captains/officials, council of elders and even local commanders of the armed group present in the area, whichever is possible; e. Seek assistance from military camps in coordination with concerned LGU before the enumeration proper for clearance and for possible insurgencies that may arise; f. Assign enumerators (ENs) who are residents or at least familiar in the area and can speak the local dialect; g. Employ team approach during enumeration or saturation period; and h. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

2. Indigenous People (IP)/Tribal Villages

Based on Republic Act No. 8371, IPs refer to a group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed and utilized such territories, sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and cultures, became historically differentiated from the majority of Filipinos. They shall likewise include peoples who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, at the time of conquest or colonization, or at the time of inroads of non-indigenous religions and cultures, or the establishment of present state boundaries, who retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, but who may have been displaced from their traditional domains or who may have resettled outside their ancestral domains.

For the conduct of this census, the following are the suggested operational strategies: a. Coordinate with LGU Chief Executive in identifying areas with IP/Tribal villages; b. Coordinate and request assistance from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs (MIPA) in the region/province for information about the tribe and its communities, and the names of tribal chieftain/leaders; c. Establish coordination with the NCIP/MIPA, LGUs, Philippine National Police (PNP) with the Barangay Officials (Peace and Order Council)/Chieftains for 2022 CAF enumeration in these IP barangays/villages to explain the importance of the census to gain their support and cooperation; d. Conduct massive information dissemination activities such as TV/radio interviews, social media and census announcements; e. Coordinate with the local Datu/Tribal Leaders of the area for the hiring of qualified ENs who are members of the tribe based on prescribed minimum qualifications;

2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries Philippine Statistics Authority f. Employ team approach during enumeration or saturation period; and g. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

3. Boundary Dispute

There are provinces, cities/municipalities, and barangays that might experience boundary conflicts. Section 118 of R.A No. 7160 of the Philippines Local Government Code otherwise known as the "Local Government Code of 1991", provides mechanism to resolve boundary disputes among barangays, cities/municipalities, and provinces. In the conduct of 2022 CAF, clear and correct maps of the EA/brgy/city/municipality are needed.

Guidelines are as follows: a. Coordinate a special meeting with the concerned LGUs/barangay officials; b. Conduct of massive information dissemination activities such as TV/radio interviews, social media and census announcements; c. Ask for a certification or resolution regarding changes in the boundary, as applicable; d. Assess if the presented document is valid and accepted by both parties; e. Local Government Code Rule III, Article 18 - Maintenance of Status Quo specifically states that pending final resolution of the dispute, the status of the affected area prior to the dispute will be maintained and continued for all purposes; i. If there are two barangays with boundary conflict within the same city/municipality, the concerned city/municipality LGU officials and the two disputing barangay captains/officials will be consulted to avoid covering the same households in both sample barangays; ii. For boundary conflict between cities or municipalities from same province, consult with the LGU officials of the involved cities or municipalities; and iii. If the conflict involves two cities or municipalities in different provinces, the Provincial Governor of the concerned provinces will be consulted. These actions should be jointly undertaken by the concerned PSO personnel or PSO-Chief Statistical Specialists (CSSs) with jurisdiction in the areas affected by boundary disputes. f. Conduct meeting with the concerned Barangay Captains, Sangguniang Barangay (SB) members, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the city/municipality LGU officials to issue a resolution pertaining to boundary disputed areas prior to census enumeration (Figure 9.3); and g. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

4. Exclusive Subdivisions/Villages/Condominiums

Community associations including residents of gated subdivisions, exclusive villages, and condominiums in sample barangays are obliged to participate in the 2022 CAF. Access to households in these areas poses challenges, thus, guidelines for the conduct of enumeration in these areas are presented below: a. Identify subdivisions/condominiums/exclusive villages/high income communities in the city/municipality/barangay. Sources of information can be through the barangay officials. The PSO Focal Person may also check from the results of geo-tagging activities of PSA; b. Conduct regular meetings and constant coordination with Barangay Officials, Village/Building Administrators, Homeowners’ Association (HOA) Presidents and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)/Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) (formerly Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). DHSUD/MHSD is the primary housing authority in the Philippines; i. Prepare request letter to inform and seek support/assistance to disseminate to their constituents regarding the conduct of census and visit of ENs; ii. Conduct consultative forum/meeting with HOA and barangay Officials and mention the different modes of data collection they may prefer such as selfadministered questionnaire (SAQ), and telephone interview aside from Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI); and iii. Conduct massive information dissemination activities such as TV/radio interviews, social media and census announcements. c. Promotion of 2022 CAF during conduct or request of PhilSys registration in their HOA/condominium; i. Dissemination of IEC materials to HOA/Condominium Building Administrators/officers/residents/members, preferably at the venue/site of PhilSys registration, and other PSA projects for them to participate also in the 2022 CAF; d. Assign well-trained Statistical Researchers (SRs) and with previous experience in handling exclusive subdivisions/villages/condominiums; i. Re-echo/mentoring by experienced EN/TS/CAS on how to cover exclusive villages/subdivisions/condominiums; ii. Hiring of ENs involved in community services in the particular exclusive subdivisions/villages/condominiums or those recommended by barangay officials. e. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

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5. Mountainous/Rugged Terrain

Mountainous areas are characterized by conspicuous peaks, ridges, or mountain ranges while rugged terrain is mostly mountain with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands. The Philippines, other than being an archipelagic country, is also home to mountainous landscapes such as the Sierra Madre rising along the length of the eastern coast of Luzon and extends from the province of Cagayan in the north, to the province of Quezon in the south, along the way traversing through 8 other provinces, namely Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Bulacan, Rizal, and Laguna; Central Panay Mountain Range that is stretched along the length of Panay Island, in the Visayas group of Islands in which spans 94 kilometer in length and passes through all the four provinces of Panay namely Aklan, Capiz, Antique, and Iloilo; and the Daguma Mountain Range that stretches for some 180 kilometer straddling the provinces of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Saranggani.

Guidelines to properly enumerate these areas for the purpose of 2022 CAF are as follows: a. PSOs to update the list of mountainous and hard-to-reach barangays/sitios to consider reasonable output during actual enumeration. Utilize the results of ASTIG Tech Travel Information, whenever available, as basis on recent fare matrix, travel time, output rates, and workload analysis. Otherwise, coordinate with LGUs for the necessary inputs in the updating of the Travel Information to be submitted by the PSOs to the RSSOs for consolidation and submission to Central Office (CO); b. In the preparation of workload analysis for these areas, consider lowering of the required output per day based on the abovementioned strategy and information; c. Coordinate with Barangay Officials for the provision of guide during canvassing/enumeration in far-flung areas and also, for contacting the respondents in hard-to-reach areas for convening them in an agreed location to conduct the interview; d. Hiring of ENs residing or willing to be assigned in hard-to-reach barangays/sitios. Coordinate during Municipal Census Coordinating Board (MCCB) and Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) meetings for assistance in the dissemination of the hiring of possible qualified applicants in every hard-to-reach barangay/sitio; e. Conduct massive information dissemination activities such as TV/radio interviews, social media and census announcements; and f. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

6. Island Municipalities/Barangays/Sitios

Since our country is surrounded with water and composed of around 7,600 islands, challenges in reaching these island cities/municipalities/barangays/sitios entails time,

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2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries efforts, and resources. To properly enumerate these areas, the strategies to consider are as follows: a. Establish early coordination with: i. Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Coast Guard, and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) for advisories like weather forecast reports, weather bulletins/advisories before covering the island areas to ensure safety of the field personnel; ii. LGU Chief Executives and Province/City/Municipality Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (P/C/MDRRMO), and Kabalikat CiviCom; iii. Barangay Chairman, Council and Assemblies, and Bantay Dagat for the use of their boats and provision of guide/security escort to ensure complete coverage of the enumeration area; and iv. Start the advocacy on the conduct of the 2022 CAF by posting materials such as tarpaulin display, distribution of fliers, radio broadcasting and social media when necessary. b. Conduct massive information dissemination activities such as TV/radio interviews, social media and census announcements in seeking assistance to enumerate coastal/island barangay (i.e., Audio Visual Presentation and 2022 CAF Jingle); c. Consider renting of boats and/or provide transportation allowance/reimbursement of actual transportation expenses incurred in hiring boats to cover island barangays/municipalities; and d. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

7. Calamity-Affected Areas

Natural calamities include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, drought, flooding due to heavy rains brought by low pressure area, monsoon, and typhoons, resulting to damages in many livelihoods. Moreover, such emergencies can greatly affect the output of the census. The below guidelines were prepared to aid the ENs/TSs to deliver reliable data even during calamities.

a. For calamity-affected areas, the PSO-CSS, in consultation with the Regional Director (RD) may decide to delay the enumeration; b. The PSO-CSS should coordinate with officials of the Philippine National Red Cross, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD), Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) or other local civic organizations to solicit suggestions on the best method to enumerate these areas;

2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries Philippine Statistics Authority c. Adhere to the concerned Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office's (MDRRMO) guidelines; d. Prioritize sample barangays/EAs not greatly affected by the calamity/natural disaster; e. Activate the Public Service Continuity Plan (PSCP), which will be activated whenever there are calamities or state of emergencies; (Figure 9.3) f. For displaced residents, request the concerned LGUs and barangay officials to organize a team to monitor and locate their respective constituents who are residing in the affected areas; and g. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

8. COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions

Safety health measures set by the National Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRM) and/or by the LGUs should be strictly observed.

a. All involved personnel should be fully vaccinated (at least two doses) and have their respective vaccination card available for inspection/reference; b. In case of Covid-19 lockdowns, coordinate with the provincial/city/municipal government on the schedule and/or requirements on how to proceed with the census operations in these areas. The PSO-CSS should immediately report the situation to the RD and CO; c. If there is hostility in the assigned area due to pandemic, the EN/TS may also inform and encourage the respondents to participate in alternative non-face-toface interview methods such as Telephone Interview. Report also to RD and CO if use of Telephone interview will be largely used or to be adopted as main interview method in a specific barangay/enumeration area (EA); d. Coordinate with LGU/DOH on the provision of support or assistance such as swab testing, quarantine facility with meals and free check-ups for COVID-19 confirmed cases among hired personnel; e. If there are COVID-19 confirmed cases, suspects, and close contacts among census personnel whether hired or regular employees, they should comply with NDRRMC/LGU protocols, such as: i. Inform the immediate supervisor and contact the Barangay Health and Emergency Response Team (BHERT) of the barangay of residence of the COVID-19 patient/suspect/close contact and report the following: a. Antigen Swab/RT-PCR Result, if available; b. Exposure to a COVID-19 patient if close contact; and c. Persons considered as direct contact of the census personnel who tested positive to COVID-19

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2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries ii. Secure advice from the BHERT representative on the patient’s/suspect’s/close contact’s duration of quarantine, self-isolation requirements, instructions on daily monitoring, and if the suspect/close contact will be subjected to the Antigen/RT-PCR test. Inform the immediate supervisor of the requirements/protocols provided by the BHERT; and iii. Secure a medical health certificate/clearance from respective BHERT or attending physician after completion of quarantine and submit a copy to the PSO-Focal Person (for hired personnel)/PSO-CSS (for regular staff) before reporting back to work. f. Implement other applicable strategies as deemed needed and necessary.

Peace and Order Problem, and Boundary Disputes