The National Statistical Coordination Board – Cordillera Administrative Region (NSCB-CAR) uploaded to its regional website http://nscb.gov.ph/rucar the thematic maps prepared under the poverty mapping activities for the provinces of Ifugao and Mountain Province and the City of Baguio. The maps present indices of the municipal/barangay-level data for the Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) indicators covering the three major concerns of survival, security and enabling, collected with the assistance of the respective Provincial and City Planning and Development Offices. A total of one hundred and five (105) thematic maps can now be viewed online.

The poverty maps of Ifugao Province were prepared in 2003 comparing calendar years (CY) 2000 and 2003. A Users’ Forum was conducted on 18 December 2003 at the Hope Bible School in Lagawe, Ifugao where the thematic maps were presented and validated. There are thirty-eight (38) thematic maps of the province uploaded online. (http://www.nscb.gov.ph/rucar/pm_ifugao.htm)

Mountain Province was the second local government unit (LGU) with poverty maps. The poverty mapping activity of the province was undertaken in 2005. There is a total of thirty-seven (37) poverty maps there were created for calendar years 2000 and 2003. (http://www.nscb.gov.ph/rucar/pm_mtprovince.htm)

The thirty (30) poverty maps of Baguio City for CY 2001 and CY 2003 were the result of the Poverty Mapping project of the NSCB-CAR and the local government of Baguio City. The project was in partnership with the Office of the City Social Welfare Development Office (OCSWDO) and the City Poverty Reduction Action Team (CPRAT) covering the 129 barangays of Baguio City. The maps were valuable inputs used in the preparation of the city’s Local Poverty Reduction Action Plan (LPRAP). (http://www.nscb.gov.ph/rucar/pm_baguio.htm)

NSCB is implementing poverty mapping of the provinces and cities in the Cordilleras to serve the needs of local planners and policy makers in their poverty alleviation programs. The poverty maps serve as useful tools to local government units as well as local chief executives in identifying priority areas that should benefit from anti-poverty programs and interventions. Poverty maps were generated based on Minimum Basic Needs (MBN) indicators of the three dimensions of well-being using GIS technology.

BENJAMIN Y. NAVARRO
Head, NSCB-CAR