Structure

A decentralized system - policy-making body, data producers, users, research and training institutions, and data providers

The PSS is the government-wide system of providing statistical information and services to the public.

The present system as defined in Executive Order No. 121 dated October 1, 1987 consists of the statistical organizations at all administrative levels, the personnel therein and the national statistical program.

These organizations include a policy-making and coordinating body, a statistical research and training center, a single general purpose statistical agency, and all the departments, bureaus, offices, agencies and instrumentalities of the national and local government and government-owned or controlled corporations and their subsidiaries that are engaged in statistical activities either as their primary functions or part of their administrative or regulatory functions. Each institution has its own role and responsibility in the System. The key players and corresponding linkages are shown in the chart below:

Framework of Coordination in the Philippine Statistical System

The policy-making and coordinating body

• National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB)

The NSCB formulates policies, delineates responsibilities, sets priorities and standards on statistics and administers the one-stop statistical information center. It also maintains multi-sectoral frameworks/indicator systems to keep track of the economy and the socio-economic status of the people such as the Philippine System of National Accounts and Poverty Statistics. It provides links and fora for coordination between and among these key players. It also serves as the statistical clearing house and liaison for international statistical matters.

Data Producers

In the government, the agencies that produce statistics as their primary function are as follows:

• National Statistics Office (NSO)

produces general-purpose statistics The NSO generates data on population, housing, agriculture, fisheries, business, industry, prices and households through periodic censuses and sample surveys. It also processes and compiles administrative-based statistics on domestic and foreign trade, business permits and vital statistics from the civil registration system.

• Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS)

produces agricultural statistics The BAS generates statistics on crop production, prices of agricultural commodities, volume and value of livestock traded, farm income and expenditure, farming systems, agricultural finance, through sample surveys.

• Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES)

produces labor statistics The BLES generates establishment-based labor data, such as labor turnover, labor practices, organizations, occupational injuries and illnesses and wage rates.

In addition to the above statistical agencies, various other departments/agencies also generate statistics as by-products of their primary functions. These agencies disseminate directly to data users and provide NSCB a copy.

Data providers/respondents

Collection of data is done either thru sample surveys, censuses or reporting forms. Respondents can be individuals, households, business establishments/enterprises, government or non-government institutions. The extent and quality of data supplied by the respondents critically affect the quality of statistics produced by the data producers. To strengthen the relationship with the respondents, the data producers conduct dialogues and communication programs to advocate support to data collection activities.

Statistical Training, Education and Research Institutions

• Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC)
  training and research arm of the PSS The SRTC conducts short-term courses in statistics and related fields and researches to enhance existing methodologies, concepts and systems used in statistical operations.

• Academe
  On human resource supply, the PSS relies on the academe offering statistics courses such as the University of the Philippines’ School of Statistics and Institute of Statistics, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. The academe also participates in the conduct of statistical research.