The National Statistics Office’s (NSO) Producer Price Survey (PPS) clearance has been renewed by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) through the Statistical Survey Review and Clearance System (SSRCS). The PPS is a monthly undertaking of the NSO with manufacturing establishments as respondents. It collects producers’ prices of commodities needed in the computation of the Producer Price Index (PPI) for Manufacturing.  The PPI is used as: (a) measure of the monthly and yearly changes in the producer prices of manufactured commodities, (b) deflator to the value of production index used in the estimation of volume of production index, and (c) deflator to the value added in the manufacturing industry of the national accounts.   Producers’ price is the unit price of the commodity as it leaves the establishment and includes any indirect tax or subsidy levied/received on the commodity.  

The PPS covers 302 manufacturing establishments with average total employment of 50 and over majority of which are located in the National Capital Region while the rest are situated in the rest of the regions.   Around 586 manufactured commodities comprise the market basket for the index which is under the 20 major groupings of manufacturing industries.  The survey uses a shuttle type of questionnaire wherein the establishments are visited every 10th to 25th day of each month and are provided with a running account of all its responses for the year.   The data items in the questionnaire include the name of product, brand name, product specification, unit of measure and producer’s price of the product.  

The output generated from the survey is the PPI for Manufacturing which has been recently rebased to 2000, although 1994-based prices are still released along with the 2000-based PPI.  The PPI is available 55 days after the reference month and is included in the press release issued for the results of NSO’s Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries which generates the value of production index for manufacturing. 

The total cost of the survey for 2007 is Php 731,444.00 which covers maintenance and other operating expenses.  The amount covers the traveling expenses (Php 482,300.00) supplies (Php 56,000.00), printing (Php 64,000.00) and freight/communication (Php 129,144.00) expenses for the survey during the year. Survey cost per respondent amounts to Php 2,422.00.

The SSRCS under which the survey clearance was granted is a mechanism instituted by the NSCB through Memorandum Circular Nos. 4-88 and 04-95.  It aims to: (1) ensure sound design for data collection, (2) minimize the burden placed upon respondents, (3) effect economy   in   statistical   data   collection,  (4) achieve   better coordination of government statistical activities, and (5) inform the private sector and the public in general that a government survey operation has passed clearance and enjoin their cooperation in the conduct of the survey.

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General

Contact Persons:
Ms. Fe Vida N. Dy-Liacco / Mr. Juan O. Miralles
Tel. No.: (632) 890-9404; Telefax No.: (632) 895-2436
E-mail: fvn.dyliacco@nscb.gov.ph/ jo.miralles@nscb.gov.ph