“To plan properly, every government needs information, and the census, if done correctly, is the primary source of information a country can have.” Alejandro Fondeur, President of APROCOVICI.
SANTO DOMINGO.- Representatives of the construction sector in the capital and the northern region yesterday called for support for the 10th National Population and Housing Census, because the statistics it yields constitute a basic tool for determining public policies on housing.
“Let’s support the Tenth National Population and Housing Census. It’s a fundamental tool for developing public housing policies that guarantee access to decent housing for all Dominicans. Participate from the 10th to the 23rd and let’s improve everyone’s quality of life together,” posted ACOPROVI, the Association of Housing Builders and Developers.
For Alejandro Fondeur, president of APROCOVICI, the Association of Housing Developers and Builders of Cibao, conducting the Census is crucial for the country to understand its population, and the census is more than just counting the number of inhabitants. “It gives us information on population distribution by region, city, and even locality, if you will. To plan properly, every government needs information, and the census, if done correctly, is the primary source of information a country can have.”.
According to ACOPROVI, knowing the population size "will allow us to know exactly what the housing deficit is in our country and will allow us to develop public policies to address it effectively.".
The Cibao region, for its part, understands that the information generated by a census allows for more effective analysis and projection of any development. “And it provides us with information on how we have evolved over time, with trends and statistics. It is the largest database a country can have,” Fondeur explained.
Likewise, the association representing the residents of the capital believes that knowing the number of citizens, their housing needs, and their location will allow for the development of projects tailored to the needs and possibilities of the inhabitants of a given area of our country
About the 10th Census
The 10th Population and Housing Census began yesterday, after a twelve-year hiatus, and will run until November 23rd, with the participation of 35,000 enumerators who will visit homes throughout the country.
President Luis Abinader and his wife Raquel Arbaje were the first to be counted in the census.
Accompanied by the First Lady and the Director of the Statistics Office, Miosotis Rivas, the President called on the population to cooperate with the surveyors who will be visiting homes and pointed out that those who do not trust the census “are mistaken.”.
“I tell them not to use the census to criticize the party; there are many other issues they can address, and that's normal—that's democracy. But the census is a national issue,” he said, referring to those who oppose the survey.
The census takers are properly identified (with a vest, cap and badge containing a QR code that can be scanned to access a database) and will go house to house to collect the information.
They ask condominiums to support
The director of the ONE, Miositis Rivas, called on neighborhood associations and those responsible for condominiums to coordinate with those in charge of the Census polygon on how they will receive those registered.
"We're not necessarily talking about opening the door, but about receiving, because what we want is for the information to be handed over so we can really know how many of us there are in the Dominican Republic," Rivas emphasized.
He added that, regarding security, the population is organizing itself and that some condominiums have already decided to set up a table for census takers so that people can register.
