Pinoys won't be 'undercounted' in US census - officials
SAN FRANCISCO — Concerns that the Filipino population might be under-counted were addressed at the quarterly Kapihan meeting of the Philippine American Press Club (PAPC) Saturday, March 28 at the West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center here.
Calling the Census “the biggest peace-time mobilization of our citizens nationwide", Teresita Zaragoza of the US Census Bureau emphasized the importance of accurate counting of all Filipinos in the USA.
The 2010 Census will be counting everyone within the United States’ borders - including undocumented aliens - the homeless, students and foreign workers in the country on temporary employment visas. With its large immigrant population, Census officials have admitted that the Bay Area presents a unique and challenging obstacle to the completion of this monumental task.
“The census is about inclusion; numbers matter," said bureau official Lia Bolden.
Two-thirds of the population are urged to mail their census forms back, she said. The other one-third will require census takers to visit them personally to obtain the information.
“We are not here to share information with the IRS, the ICE or anyone else," Bolden responded when asked about the people who resisted participation. “But this information matters for research, health matters and it means power for your community."
Title 13 of the US Code, she pointed out, protects all confidential information. “The information is safe for 72 years," she said.
“We in the FilAm community are not well-counted and are not well represented," said outgoing PAPC President Charito Benipayo. “How can we become empowered if we are not counted?"
With $300 billion dollars being given to the various states by the federal government based upon the Census’ population numbers, she stressed, the inclusion of accurate numbers for the Filipino population in America is of the essence.
The Census officials stressed that an ‘ethnic approach’ would be employed in dealing with certain segments of the Filipino community, including interviewers fluent in Tagalog and most other Pilipino dialects.
The previous Census in 2000 showed the Filipino population in California had grown by 25 percent to 918,678 from the previous count 10 years earlier. Filipinos were, according to the 2000 Census, the second largest Asian population throughout California, surpassed only by the Chinese.
The figures showed 40,083 Filipinos in San Francisco, a small decrease from the 1990 Census count, while Los Angeles was home to the most Filipinos in the state. The decrease in numbers for San Francisco were accounted for by the fact that Filipinos were seen as moving northward and eastward to cities such as Sacramento, Stockton, Lathrop and Delano, increasing earlier Pinoy populations in smaller towns in the East Bay and elsewhere.
About 80 percent of the Filipinos in America are U.S. citizens. A US State Department estimate in 2007 placed the entire Filipino population in the United States at approximately 4 million, comprising about 1.5 percent of the entire U.S. population. No figures have been compiled on those holding dual citizenship.
Alice Bulos, chair emeritus of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus of the state of California cited San Mateo county, where no budget was available in 2000 for printing Pilipino language forms.
“They say we speak English," lamented Bulos, “but we say that information can be comprehended more by Filipinos in their own language although we speak English well."
She also said that some Filipinos were concerned about being reported to the authorities, thus opening the possibility of them being deported. “But we have explained to our people that they will not be questioned about their status," Bulos said. “The census has absolutely nothing to do with the INS." This fact was emphatically repeated by Zaragoza and Bolden.
Some concern was expressed that only one or two people were assigned to the Filipino segment of the population throughout all nine Bay Area counties, possibly resulting in Filipinos inadvertently being under-counted even more than previously.
The US Census Bureau will be hiring 1,500 temporary workers soon and will be hiring as many as 6,000 temporary employees throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in the fall of this year. Further information about the 2010 Census in general – including employment opportunities – is available by calling 1-866-861-2010. - Philippine News
Calling the Census “the biggest peace-time mobilization of our citizens nationwide", Teresita Zaragoza of the US Census Bureau emphasized the importance of accurate counting of all Filipinos in the USA.
The 2010 Census will be counting everyone within the United States’ borders - including undocumented aliens - the homeless, students and foreign workers in the country on temporary employment visas. With its large immigrant population, Census officials have admitted that the Bay Area presents a unique and challenging obstacle to the completion of this monumental task.
“The census is about inclusion; numbers matter," said bureau official Lia Bolden.
Two-thirds of the population are urged to mail their census forms back, she said. The other one-third will require census takers to visit them personally to obtain the information.
“We are not here to share information with the IRS, the ICE or anyone else," Bolden responded when asked about the people who resisted participation. “But this information matters for research, health matters and it means power for your community."
Title 13 of the US Code, she pointed out, protects all confidential information. “The information is safe for 72 years," she said.
“We in the FilAm community are not well-counted and are not well represented," said outgoing PAPC President Charito Benipayo. “How can we become empowered if we are not counted?"
With $300 billion dollars being given to the various states by the federal government based upon the Census’ population numbers, she stressed, the inclusion of accurate numbers for the Filipino population in America is of the essence.
The Census officials stressed that an ‘ethnic approach’ would be employed in dealing with certain segments of the Filipino community, including interviewers fluent in Tagalog and most other Pilipino dialects.
The previous Census in 2000 showed the Filipino population in California had grown by 25 percent to 918,678 from the previous count 10 years earlier. Filipinos were, according to the 2000 Census, the second largest Asian population throughout California, surpassed only by the Chinese.
The figures showed 40,083 Filipinos in San Francisco, a small decrease from the 1990 Census count, while Los Angeles was home to the most Filipinos in the state. The decrease in numbers for San Francisco were accounted for by the fact that Filipinos were seen as moving northward and eastward to cities such as Sacramento, Stockton, Lathrop and Delano, increasing earlier Pinoy populations in smaller towns in the East Bay and elsewhere.
About 80 percent of the Filipinos in America are U.S. citizens. A US State Department estimate in 2007 placed the entire Filipino population in the United States at approximately 4 million, comprising about 1.5 percent of the entire U.S. population. No figures have been compiled on those holding dual citizenship.
Alice Bulos, chair emeritus of the Filipino American Democratic Caucus of the state of California cited San Mateo county, where no budget was available in 2000 for printing Pilipino language forms.
“They say we speak English," lamented Bulos, “but we say that information can be comprehended more by Filipinos in their own language although we speak English well."
She also said that some Filipinos were concerned about being reported to the authorities, thus opening the possibility of them being deported. “But we have explained to our people that they will not be questioned about their status," Bulos said. “The census has absolutely nothing to do with the INS." This fact was emphatically repeated by Zaragoza and Bolden.
Some concern was expressed that only one or two people were assigned to the Filipino segment of the population throughout all nine Bay Area counties, possibly resulting in Filipinos inadvertently being under-counted even more than previously.
The US Census Bureau will be hiring 1,500 temporary workers soon and will be hiring as many as 6,000 temporary employees throughout the San Francisco Bay Area in the fall of this year. Further information about the 2010 Census in general – including employment opportunities – is available by calling 1-866-861-2010. - Philippine News
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