ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- The Regional Development Council (RDC) 6 approved the resolution enjoining the local government units in Western Visayas to establish a Registry of Barangay Inhabitants and Migrants (RBIM).
During the RDC’s second quarter, June 28, the Social Development Committee (SDC) endorsed the said resolution and the Council unanimously approved the same.
This came after the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) endorsed the use of RBIM during the SDC meeting on June 22, as the chair of the Sub-committee on Population, Health, and Nutrition.
In a press release, CPD noted that RBIM is a database system designed to generate demographic and socio-economic information that can be used for development planning.
Further, this system aims to assist the barangays and LGUs in establishing accurate baseline data that is compliant with the Data Privacy Act.
“The primary use of RBIM is to create an efficient system for keeping records of inhabitants in all barangays. Implementing RBIM makes it easier to identify residents and migrants, verify documents, for clearance issuance, facilitate planning, and maintain an updated count of inhabitants in a barangay,” the CPD added.
Other than that, the Commission also emphasized the use of the system for LGU’s response efforts during emergencies and disasters.
Meanwhile, the CPD also noted that “the RBIM does not aim to replace the existing Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) but rather, complement it when no information system is available.”
With RDC’s approval, LGUs in the region are enjoined to implement the RBIM and provide funds to ensure its sustainability.
To note, based on CPD data, several LGUs in the regionb have already implemented RBIM.
LGUs with 100 percent complete system implementation include Libertad in Antique, Pontevedra in Capiz, Malinao and Malay in Aklan, and Barangay Pahanocoy in Bacolod City. While, other LGUs are ongoing implementation like Maayon in Capiz with 95%, San Remigio in Antique with 35%, and Iloilo City with 12 pilot barangays.
For this year, the Sagay City government in Negros Occidental joined the wagon with training their enumerators for the RBIM implementation recently.
With this, CPD 6 regional director Harold Alfred Marshall stressed that the introduction of the RBIM marked a
significant step toward enhancing the local records management and planning in barangays.
“It will contribute to better decision-making processes and improve the overall well-being of communities,” Marshall said. (AAL/FRG/PIA6/with reports from CPD Region 6)
