NSO completes rollout of ‘Census Serbilis Centers’

Clients of the National Statistics Office (NSO) securing copies of birth, marriage and death certificates can now experience convenience and more efficient service with the opening of its sixth Census Serbilis Center (CenSC) in Pasay City last Jan. 21, 2002. The establishment of CenSC in strategic sites in Metro Manila is part of NSO’s effort in fulfilling its goal of bringing its services closer to the public. The new site is located right across the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) building, between Halls 8 and 9 of the Financial Center Philtrade Center), Roxas Boulevard. Upon full operation, CenSC-Pasay shall be manned by more than 50 NSO personnel to be able to serve a projected volume of more than 3,000 requests daily.

"Our study showed that majority of requests for civil registry documents at the NSO frontline service counters in East Avenue are for purposes of travel. We saw the need to make it more convenient for our customers to apply for copies of their birth certificates and so we have decided to open a CenSC nearest to the Department of Foreign Affairs," Carmelita N. Ericta, NSO administrator and civil-registar general said.

The establishment of CenSC-Pasay is part of the P3.3 billion 12-year multiphase computerization project of NSO’s civil registry operations under a build-transfer-operate scheme.

"Our ultimate goal is to provide for a ‘request-anywhere’ capability for our clients and this is gradually being achieved with the opening of our Census Serbilis Centers in Metro Manila. Our customers need not go to NSO-East Avenue to apply for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates," Ericta added.

Earlier, CenSCs were opened at the city government office of Pasig, Makati, Muntinlupa and Caloocan.

Thus, local residents and those from nearby the vicinity of these key cities can avail of NSO’s civil registry services at these outlets. "And that means savings in time and money for our customers," Ericta said. In the future, regional and provincial CenSCs will be opened in strategic locations nationwide.

The opening of the CenSC in Pasay City completes the targeted rollout of outlets in Metro Manila by the NSO. By such, the agency is slowly but surely transforming its operations from manual to highly technological, a significant stride towards improved governance and better public service delivery. Moreover, people requesting for the issuance of copies of birth, marriage and death certificates through the CenSCs is introduced to a new application procedure and better facilities. the new procedure includes, among others, a computerized issuance of receipts and of civil registry documents in digital formal printed in security paper, initially, for birth that occurred in the years 1970 to 1980.

The ongoing computerization project of the civil registry operations of the NSO is in partnership with Unisys Philippines, Inc., an electronic business solutions company whose 36,000 employees help customers in 100 countries apply information technology to seize opportunities and overcome the challenges of the Internet economy. For more than 40 years, Unisys has been helping state and local governments apply information technology to provide its clients with a modern and effective computing platform to help improve service delivery and achieve business goal.