CEBU CITY, Cebu (PIA) – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Region 7 kicked off the 35th National Statistics Month Celebration with the Cebu City Civil Registrar’s Office on Oct. 1 in Cebu.
PSA 7 chief statistical specialist, Engr. Leopoldo P. Alfanta, Jr., disclosed during the Kapihan sa PIA on Oct. 2 that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region 7 is sponsoring this year’s month-long celebration.
“DICT is the sponsoring agency for the opening ceremony, while the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will sponsor the closing ceremony. BSP has been our sponsor for the closing ceremony since 2001,” Alfanta said.
The opening ceremony took place at the DICT office on Oct. 4.
PSA 7 supervising statistical specialist, Engr. Felixberto M. Sato, Jr., added that the sponsoring agency aligns with each year’s theme.
“This year’s theme, ‘Advancing Data and Statistics through Digital Transformation: A Road to an Empowered Nation,’ is closely related to information technology. Last year, our sponsor was the Department of Health (DOH) because the theme was ‘Statistics for a Healthy Philippines,’” said Sato.
Alfanta also emphasized the importance of statistics and digital transformation, highlighting the need for active public participation.
He noted that PSA has two main objectives, both crucial in policy-making and project implementation.
“We have two main objectives: first, to promote, enhance, and instill nationwide awareness of the importance and value of statistics in our lives, especially for our policymakers and planners, who heavily rely on information, data, and statistics to plan projects and policies. Second, to elicit the cooperation and support of the general public in upgrading the quality and standards of statistics in the country, including support for any data gathering activity by the government,” he said.
Sato also highlighted that one of the key statistics closely monitored by stakeholders is the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
“Ginahulat sa atong stakeholders and policy makers ang CPI report kay one of the uses of CPI mao ang pagmonitor sa prices sa atoang commonly bought services and commodities. On the government side, they will also use that sa policy making,” he said.
(Our stakeholders and policymakers are waiting for the CPI report because one of its uses is to monitor the prices of commonly bought goods and services. On the government side, they also use this data for policy-making.)
He said that policies should be evidence-based, citing the recent salary wage adjustment that took effect on Oct. 2.
“Kay makita man pud nato kung ang value sa wage i-connect nato sa inflation kung pila kaha ang value sa sweldo kaniadto ug sa present. Kay ang purchasing power sa peso mobased man sad sa result sa atong inflation,” added Sato.
(We can see how wage values are connected to inflation, comparing the value of salaries from before to the present. The purchasing power of the peso is also based on the result of our inflation.)
Digital transformation
Following Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s advocacy for digital transformation, PSA continues to improve its efficiency in delivering products and services to the public.
“Almost all data gathering by PSA is now computerized. Even our enumerators carry tablets, and our products and services are available online,” Alfanta noted.
Sato emphasized that PSA’s digital transformation efforts align with the government’s push to streamline services, making them more accessible and efficient for a more inclusive, resilient, and empowered nation.
“It is timely because digital transformation plays a vital role in enhancing government services,” he said. (MYP/PIA7 Cebu)
