CEBU, Philippines - The National Statistics Office (NSO) has urged private establishments to actively cooperate with the agency in providing accurate details in the upcoming census to fast track the results of the surveys especially on statistical data needed for drafting developmental policies.
NSO launched the 2009 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI), 2009 Survey on Information and Communication Technology (SICT), and 2009 Survey of Tourism Establishments in the Philippines (STEP) in Cebu Thursday, and results of this activity are expected to be completed within one to two years.
NSO chief for statistical sampling and operating division Elsie Solidum said one of the problems of NSO in its data gathering activities for similar projects is the delay caused by some establishments in submitting their answers to the survey, in fact some companies do not even bother to submit their answers.
Some establishments are also hesitant to fill-out the surveys despite the fact that information given out in the survey is covered under the Commonwealth Act 591.
Identities of survey respondents conducted by the NSO are protected under Commonwealth Act 591. Under this Act, name of respondents are treated strictly confidential and cannot be used as evidence in court for any purpose. This is to protect the respondents to encourage them to answer questions accurately without any inhibitions and for them to be cooperative, hence giving the necessary data requested by NSO enumerators for them to be able to have accurate survey results.
The Act also authorizes the National Statistics Office to conduct by enumeration, sampling or other methods, for statistical purposes, studies of social and economic problems of the country.
In Manila, Solidum said NSO partnered with the Jollibee Group of Companies to ensure the prompt submission of answers to the 2009 census, and NSO is planning to do the same in Cebu.
NSO-7 office-in-charge Ariel E. Florendo said that the agency is planning to seek help from the business organizations, like the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), to encourage the participation of the private sector in order to generate accurate and prompt statistical data especially when the result will be used for policy making, projection, and benchmarking, among others.
For her part, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-7) regional director Marlene CA Rodriguez, she said that it is important for the private sector to be cooperative in providing data, statistics and other needed information to survey agencies like NSO, in order to properly gauge “where we are at, where we are going.”
“We have been fighting for the problem of statistical gap, between statistical generators and statistical users, even down to the barangay levels,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez added that “as a [developmental] planner, it is hard to make projections based on data that are based two years back. “Sabihin nalang natin medyo huli tayo.”
However, Rodriguez admitted the government’s lack of funds to provide NSO the proper mobility resources to fast track the survey results. (THE FREEMAN)