NEDA pushes to group under one roof statistical agencies

MANILA, Philippines - The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has endorsed as a priority measure a house bill that reorganizes the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) and puts statistical agencies into one single authority to make statistical gathering more efficient.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Cayetano Paderanga Jr. said the bill aims to put together statistical agencies in one body.

“This bill puts together the main statistical gathering and compilation agencies into one body that will be called the Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA),” said Paderanga.

The pending bill envisions to create the PSA, which will be the central statistical authority of the government on primary data collection.

The PSA, to be headed by a National Statistician with the rank of Undersecretary, will be an attached agency of NEDA, Paderanga also said.

At present, several agencies are gathering different statistics according to their mandates. Among them are the National Statistics Office (NSO), Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), Bureau of Labor Employment and Statistics (BLES), and the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).

Paderanga said there was a need to pass a legislation because a mere Administrative Order by the President may not suffice in consolidating the current statistical agencies into a single PSA.

“EO 121 was signed by then President Corazon C. Aquino, and at that time she had lawmaking powers. Thus, the said EO has the power of a law and has to be amended, in order to reorganize the PSS,” Paderanga said.

Furthermore, the bill also proposes the creation of the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI), which upgrades the present Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC) that is currently one of the seven NEDA-attached agencies.

The bill was introduced in the lower House by Representatives Ramon Durano (Cebu), Salvador Escudero III (Sorsogon), Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro), Maximo Rodriguez Jr. (Abante Mindanao Party-list), Neptali Gonzales II (Mandaluyong), and Tomas Apacible (Batangas). It is now under deliberation by the Committee on Economic Affairs of the House of Representatives.