NSCB - Economic and Financial Data - Meta Data - Real Sector

Real Sector > Consumer Price Index
Last certified: 03 October 2007
Last update: 26 November 2007

Contact Person

Ms. Rosie B. Sta. Ana
Economic Indices and Indicators Division
National Statistics Office
4th floor, Solicarel Bldg. II
R. Magsaysay Blvd., Sta. Mesa.Manila, Philippines

Phone: 63 2 7163935/7153347
Fax: 63 2 7163935
E-mail: r.staana@census.gov.ph

Dissemination Formats

Hardcopy
(x) News release (x) Weekly (x) monthly
(x) quarterly bulletin (x) Other

Electronic
(x) On-line country bulletin board or database
(x) Diskette ( ) CD ROM ( ) Other

The Data: Coverage, Periodicity, and Timeliness
Coverage characteristics	Data are disseminated on the CPI index (2000=100), which is computed using the weighted arithmetic mean of price relatives, a variant of the Laspeyre's formula with fixed base year period weights. The index covers between 286 and 753 items, the number varying by province. The survey covers about 9,500 outlets nationwide with about 417,845 price quotations obtained monthly. The criteria for selecting sample outlets are: popularity of an establishment in terms of the line of goods to be priced; consistency and completeness of stock; permanency of outlet; and accessibility of the outlet. Prices are collected through personal interviews from selected stalls in public markets, sari-sari stores, supermarkets and service shops all over the country. In the National Capital Region, four price quotations are collected from each sample market for each of the commodity. Price collection for food is carried in 13 markets. For the non-food commodities, 13 markets are surveyed and the price collection is carried out on the first five days of the month and during the middle of each month. For the provinces, two price quotations are collected in the provincial capital, while four other price quotations are collected from the municipalities outside the capital during the first five days of the month. However, only two price quotations are collected from the provincial capital during the middle of each month. The arithmetic average of these price quotations is used in the computation of the index. The weights for the index are derived from the 2000 Family Income and Expenditures (FIES) data. There is no fixed interval for rebasing the index - so far, the CPI has used 1966, 1972, 1978, 1988, 1994 and 2000 as its base years. Rebasing also depends on the availability of the Family Income and Expenditure (FIES) data, used as the index weights. Official data with 2000 as the base year was released in February 2004. A seasonally adjusted series is simultaneously released together with the original series.
Periodicity	Monthly.
Timeliness	5 days after the reference month.
Access by the Public
Advance dissemination of release calendar	"An advance release calendar that gives one-year ahead notice of the precise release dates is posted on the NSO website (www.census.gov.ph ) and announced through a press release of the NSO." "Information on the release dates is also disseminated by the following means: (1) the NSCB website (www.nscb.gov.ph) ; (2) the consolidated data release calendar of designated statistics posted at the NSCB website."
Simultaneous release to all interested parties	The CPI data are released simultaneously to all interested parties by issuing the report "Consumer Price Index for the "MM, YY" and the accompanying press release at 9:00 a.m. Thirty minutes later, the CPI data are posted in the NSO website (www.census.gov.ph), (Phone: 63 2 7160807 Fax: 63 2 7160734) and from the Economic Indices and Indicators Division. Copies are faxed simultaneously to wire agencies, government agencies, newspaper offices, and news rooms of radio and television stations. Copies may also be obtained by request from the Office of the Administrator, NSO (Phone: 632 7160807. Fax: 632 7160734) and from the Economic Indices and Indicators Division, NSO. (Phone: 63 2 7153347. Fax: 63 2 7163935), address R. Magsaysay Blvd. Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Integrity
Dissemination of terms and conditions under which official statistics are produced, including ... confidentiality of individual responses	The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the terms and conditions of the Commonwealth Act No. 591 (August 19, 1940), Presidential Decree No.418 (March 20, 1974), Executive Order No. 121 (January 30, 1987), and Executive Order No. 352 (July 1, 1996). Commonwealth Act No. 591: Created the National Statistics Office, then known as the Bureau of the Census and Statistics, and authorizes it to prepare for and undertake all censuses of population, agriculture, industry and commerce. Section 4 states that data furnished to NSO will be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used as evidence in court for purposes of taxation, regulation or investigation; nor shall such data or information be divulged to any person except in the form of summaries or statistical tables in which no reference to an individual, corporation, association, partnership, institution or business enterprise shall appear. This provision is printed in survey questionnaires Presidential Decree No. 418: Reconstituted the Bureau of the Census and Statistics as new agency to be known as the National Census and Statistics Office (NCSO), under the administrative supervision of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). Executive Order No. 121: Renamed the NCSO to which is now known as the National Statistics Office (NSO), the major statistical agency responsible for generating general purpose statistics and undertaking such censuses and surveys as may be designated by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB). Section 18 states that "agencies conducting statistical inquiries be responsible for ensuring the timely release of the results thereof to the general public" Executive Order No. 352 (EO 352): One of the statistical activities designated in the EO 352 is the Survey of Retail Prices of Commodities for the Consumer Price Index" (the source of the data on consumer price index). This order lists the designated activity/statistics, the implementing agencies, and the frequency of data collection, geographic disaggregation and schedule of data dissemination. Section 2 requires the dissemination of the data from the designated statistical activities to the general public. Section 4 states that any modification, addition or deletion from the list needs the approval of the NSCB, the highest policy making body on statistical matters in the country. Copies of Commonwealth Act No. 591 and Presidential Decree No. 418 may be obtained from the NSO (see address or contact person for details). Copies of EO 121 and EO 352 may be obtained from the NSCB, 2/F Midland Buendia Bldg., Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Ext., Makati City, Philippines. (Fax: 632 8909408; Email: info@nscb.gov.ph)..
Identification of internal government access to data before release	A copy of the CPI monthly report and the accompanying press release is hand-delivered, under seal, to the Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and to the Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), one day prior to the scheduled date of release for information.
Identification of ministerial commentary on the occasion of statistical releases	The data are not accompanied by ministerial commentary.
Provision of information about revision and advance notice of major changes in methodology	Data revisions are indicated by footnote and are included in the next month's release. Notice of major changes in methodology are made through press releases prior to, or together with, the release of the data.
Quality
Dissemination of documentation on methodology and sources used in preparing statistics	The index methodology is found in the "CPI User's Manual" and may be requested from the Economic Indices and Indicators Division of the NSO, R. Magsaysay Blvd., Sta. Mesa.Manila, (Phone: 63 2 7153347; Fax: 63 2 7163935). Technical notes on the consumer price index is also available on the NSO's website, http://www.census.gov.ph/data/technotes/notecpi.html.
Dissemination of component detail, reconciliations with related data, and statistical frameworks that support statistical cross-checks and provide assurance of reasonableness	Data on the CPI are found in the following NSO reports/publications: Monthly Press Release on the CPI: contains textual analysis and tables on the CPI mostly covering data for the latest and previous month. NSO Monthly Bulletin of Statistics: updates users on the latest available monthly data on economic variables including tables on national and regional CPI, inflation rate and purchasing power of the peso. It also presents figures for the past two years. A special feature article is also contained in the publication. Philippine Yearbook: contains data on the socio-economic development of the country. The statistical series contained in the publication, including textual analysis and tables on the CPI, are updated for continuity whenever possible and for comparative analysis. Tabular data usually cover 2 or more periods. Quickstat (National, Regional and Provincial)- a monthly update of most requested statistics. Press release on the monthly CPI is also posted at the NSO website (www.census.gov.ph) containing textual analysis, and tables on the CPI in the national and regional levels by commodity group mostly covering data for the latest and previous month. A CD of Consumer Price Index from 1957 to 2006 (2000=100) by commodity group, on a national, regional, provincial and selected city levels is available. Included in the CD are tables on inflation rates and the purchasing power of the peso. Detailed CPI breakdowns of the major commodity groups are available at Economic Indices and Indicators Division and Databank and Information Services Division. , R. Magsaysay Blvd., Sta. Mesa, Manila, Philippines, (Phone: 63 2 7153347and 7137081; Fax: 63 2 7163935 and 7141715; Email: R.staana@mail.census.gov.ph). Average monthly retail prices of commodities and services from the field (provinces/selected cities) are also available to the public at the Economic Indices and Indicators Division and at the Databank and Information Services Division, NSO. These are available in hard copies and on diskettes