The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will significantly reduce the number of transactions it handles on a daily basis under the general community quarantine (GCQ) and “new normal.”
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General Claire Dennis S. Mapa told BusinessMirror that they could reduce their transactions by 50 percent, depending on the location of the Civil Registration System (CRS) outlet.
PSA said starting May 4, CRS outlets will be open in all GCQ areas. The PSA will also be accepting applications for PSA-issued documents through Batch Requests System (Breqs) filed at local government units (LGUs) and SM Business Centers.
“Our estimate is about 50 percent [or even less] of the normal operation. But we will monitor on a daily basis the number of clients applying for civil registration documents,” Mapa told this newspaper via SMS over the weekend.
It is estimated that on a daily basis, the PSA’s Central outlet in East Avenue handles around 6,000 to as much as 12,000 transactions daily, depending on the demand.
If PSA will be reducing this number by as much as 50 percent, daily transactions will go down to 3,000 to 6,000 daily.
Mapa said limiting the number of daily transactions will help the PSA adhere to the protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the Department of Health (DOH).
“The number of clients that can be accommodated in the outlets will also be reduced to comply with the social distancing,” Mapa said.
To make up for the shortfall, Mapa said starting on May 4, clients can again order their documents online. This includes customers who are living in areas that are still under enhanced community quarantine.
On Saturday, PSA said 20 CRS outlets will be opened in areas where the GCQ will be in effect.
These include San Fernando in La Union, Laoag City in Ilocos Norte, and Vigan in Ilocos Sur in Region 1; Tuguegarao City in Cagayan and Bayombong in Nueva Ecija in Region 2; and Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro and Puerto Princesa in Palawan in Region 4A.
CRS outlets will also be open in Naga in Camarines Sur in Region 5; Kalibo in Aklan in Region 6; Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental in Region 7; Tacloban City in Leyte and Catbalogan City in Samar in Region 8; and Dipolog City in Zamboanga del Norte in Region 9.
PSA said their CRS outlets will also be open in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, Ozamis City in Misamis Occidental, and Iligan City in Lanao del Norte in Region 10; and General Santos City in South Cotabato in Region 12.
The CRS outlets will be open in Cotabato City in Maguindanao in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as well as in Butuan City in Agusan del Norte and Surigao City in Surigao del Norte in Region 13.