NCSC partners with CDO State U to boost seniors registration

By MindaNews

| August 16, 2023 - 4:03 pm

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 16 Aug)—The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) has partnered with a state university here to fast-track the enlistment into its database of the more than 450,000 senior citizens in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao).

16ncsc web — NCSC Commissioner Edwin G. Espejo (rightmost) meets with University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines officials in Cagayan de Oro City.

Contributed photo

NCSC and the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Monday morning for the encoding into an online-based registration portal of the basic data of senior citizens within the region.

The move is aimed to boost and expand the coverage of NCSC’s senior citizens registration program, which aims to capture an estimated 12 million senior citizens nationwide, said NCSC Commissioner Edwin G. Espejo.

Under the agreement, student interns of USTP-Cagayan de Oro (CDO) Campus will be tapped to encode the manually-filled senior citizens’ data forms into the NCSC’s online database through its website.

“The partnership aims to collaboratively encode senior citizens’ data forms, contributing to the accuracy of information crucial for welfare programs and offering valuable training opportunities to student interns,” said Espejo, the commissioner-in-charge of NCSC’s Cluster 7, which covers Regions 10 and 12 (Soccsksargen).

Commissioner Espejo signed the MOA on behalf of NCSC while USTP was represented by CDO Campus Chancellor Atty.

Dionel O. Albina.

The simple signing ceremony, held at the Chancellor’s office, was witnessed by USTP Vice Chancellor for Research Engr.

Alex L. Maureal, College of Information Technology and Computing Dean Dr.

Love Jhoye M. Raboy, Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 10 director Ramel F. Jamen, and NCSC Executive Assistant IV Cesar Y.[]

Yamuta.

The MOA cited that the collaboration will help “improve accuracy and quality of senior citizens’ data for more effective program execution; provide enhanced educational experience for student interns through hands-on involvement in a real-world project; and strengthen collaboration between the NCSC and USTP-CDO, contributing to mutual growth and positive outcomes.”

“The partnership between NCSC and USTP-CDO for the encoding of senior citizens’ data forms represents a valuable opportunity to contribute to the accuracy and accessibility of crucial data. By leveraging the expertise and commitment of USTP-CDO’s student interns, this collaboration aligns with our shared commitment to enhancing the welfare of senior citizens,” it said.[]

The agreement noted that “approximately 450,000 senior citizen data forms from Region 10 will be encoded” and will involve 20 to 30 or more student interns from USTP-CDO in one to two semesters.[]

The encoding will take place at the USTP-CDO’s computer laboratory or assigned facility with internet connectivity, utilizing the NCSC web-based registration form.

Chancellor Albina reiterated the university’s full support to the continuing registration and database buildup for the country’s senior citizens, assuring their readiness to provide the necessary technical assistance and available resources.

“We can offer more help other than data encoding,” he said, noting USTP-CDO’s status as a Center for Excellence in Information Technology.

The university had engaged with various government and non-government agencies, among them the Commission on Higher Education and the United States Agency for International Development, on projects involving systems and applications development as well as database development and analytics.

The MOA with USTP-CDO was the second forged this month by NCSC’s Cluster 7 to enhance the nationwide senior citizens registration.

A similar agreement was forged by NCSC Cluster 7 with privately-run Goldenstate College Inc. in General Santos City on Aug. 10 for the encoding of senior citizens data in Region 12. (MindaNews)