Driven by the vision of inclusive poverty alleviation through local-level data, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) officially turned over the data from the 2021 Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) rollout to the City Government of Bayugan on 10 May 2023 at ABC Hall, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

During the ceremony, the PSA handed in the data generated from the CBMS conducted in 43 barangays of Bayugan City, which amounts to 26,257 households and 106,566 covered population. This is the culmination of the CBMS personnel's collective efforts towards holistic and inclusive nation-building.

The local-level data presented includes information on labor and employment, education, and housing, among others. The presentation also covers the number of health and education facilities in the City of Bayugan which was made possible through the geotagging activity of the CBMS. The statistical and geospatial data presented will inform the local government of areas to work on to improve the life of their constituents.

In his acceptance message, Bayugan City Mayor Honorable Kirk A. Asis expressed gratitude to the CBMS for empowering Bayugan City to better understand the needs of Bayuganons and to develop programs that are tailored to their specific needs. He affirmed his commitment to using the CBMS data to inform the city's local development plans and programs.

Engr. Sylvia E. Pama, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), discussed ways on how the local government will utilize the CBMS data in its respective barangays. This involves the strengthening of programs in connection with various development plans including but not limited to Local Public Transportation Route Plan, Local Nutrition Action Plan, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, and Child and Youth Development Plan.

Dubbed as the City of Unity and Bounty, Bayugan is one of the nine (9) pilot areas of the 2021 CBMS Rollout. With the availability of the city's local-level data, it can be hoped that unity and bounty will further materialize by using the CBMS data to create wealth and equitable resources in many aspects of the life of the Bayuganons.

For more information and latest announcements on the CBMS, you may visit the PSA CBMS webpage at www.psa.gov.ph/cbms.

- Community-Based Statistics Service, Censuses and Technical Coordination Office