VAMC Reportorial Team

SENIOR Deputy Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales (Lakas, Mandaluyong) has sought the reorganization of the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) through the creation of the Statistics Philippines or STATPHIL that shall serve as the central statistical authority of the government on primary data collection.

Gonzales said his proposal contained in House Bill 4136 seeks, among others, to promote direction and the orderly development of the PSS and to continually upgrade the statistics profession to enhance its contribution for the advancement and development of statistics in the country.

"This proposed measure is designed to reorganize the PSS by providing adequate human, technical and financial resources for its evolution into a dynamic, efficient, and responsive system. It also aims to provide clearer direction for the different research and statistical agenda of government agencies, and seeks to spur the upgrading of the statistics profession," Gonzales said.

The lawmaker explained that while the PSS maintains a solid statistical agenda and has proven itself adequate over the years, improvements toward a higher level of efficiency and reliability are needed. This is not only because of the immense leaps in technology and information, but also because of rapid changes in society's demands.

"Beyond that, the level of integration of statistical data between and among agencies of the government and the private sector is needed for a more coherent and cohesive determination and implementation of policies, programs and priorities," Gonzales said.

Under Section 5 of the bill, the STATPHIL shall be constituted from among the existing personnel and resources of the major statistical agencies engaged in primary data collection and compilation of secondary data -- the National Statistics Office (NSO), the Technical Staff of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) and the Bureau of Labor and Employment (BLES).

Further, the labor department and the agriculture department shall maintain their respective staff bureaus namely the BLES and the BAS respectively, but their mandates shall be refocused toward developing rigorous, independent economic research analysis and forecasting rather than primary data collection for designated statistics. The Department of Economic Statistics of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shall likewise continue to take charge of statistics on banking as well as of financial statistics, including the balance of payments and flow of funds as provided for by the bill.

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