STRATEGIC REVIEW AND EVALUATION OF
THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICAL SYSTEM (PSS)
Guide Questions for Heads, Former Heads and Former Senior Staff of
Major Statistical Agencies of the PSS
Inputs by Mr. Gener de Guzman, former Director of BAS
[ Note: To fulfill its mandate, the Special Committee to Review the PSS needs to have in-depth information on seven key issues about the PSS. Key Informant Interviews, either face-to-face or via new technologies, are to be undertaken by the Committee with persons who are currently heading or used to head major statistical agencies of the PSS, or major units of these agencies. Focus group discussions are also to be undertaken among various PSS stakeholders, including Data Users/Researchers, as well as representatives of Academe, the private sector, the development community, local government units, and past and present government policy makers. The results of the information gathering can serve to provide a guidepost for identifying major issues to be assessed by the Committee.]
I. Organization, Function and Mandates
EO 121 defined the current structure of the PSS. From your experience and perspective, what are the strengths and limitations of the current set-up,particularly on the capacity of the major statistical agency you head, headed, or were a part of, to plan and manage operations and deliver statistical outputs, products and services?
While EO 121 defined the structure of the PSS, it was however, issued primarily to provide legal basis for NSCB and SRTC; it avoided to cover statistical activities of other agencies.
Strong points:
- creation of inter-agency coordinating body (NSCB) (Sec 4);
- provision for a system of designated statistics (Sec 16)
- strengthening implementation of statistical standards (Sec 19)
- provision for mechanism for funds programming (Sec 20)
Weak points
- giving co-equal ranks to the position of the head of the NSCB technical staff and the Administrator of NSO (Secs 7 & 9)
- it is not clear whether the NSCB technical staff should be allowed to continue to include in its mandate (which is not specified in EO 121) the preparation of such services as PSNA, MDG, poverty statistics, etc, - or should these be appropriated to other agencies?
What critical concerns do you foresee for the agency you head, headed, or were a part of, and the PSS, in general,that need to be addressed to further strengthen the PSS?
- outposting of qualified statistical personnel to statistical cells of other government agencies to strengthen their own statistical work
- NSCB should aggressively pursue its mandate on funds programming to ensure that priority statistical activities are properly funded (pursue a bi-annual budgetary programming or a medium-term PSS budget to ensure continuity of statistical programs/activities which may go beyond the country’s fiscal year)The case of the on-going 2007 census of population could be cited. The conduct of this census very close to 2010 may jeopardize congress’ concurrence to fund the envisaged decennial census which may in turn, adversely affect the continuity/consistency of the population and housing statistical series.
- Improve the identification and implementation of designated statistics (in general designated statistics should focus on statistical activities and not outputs) – the Review committee should make a very critical scrutiny of the current list of ‘designated statistics’; quality should take precedence over quantity. For example, FLEMMS is included in the list despite the fact that this was only conducted once.
- With the pronounced interest of the administration to aggressively pursue investments in the mining sector, there is an urgent need to improve/strengthen resource and environment statistics (we can also add the global warming phenomenon)
- Centralization/integration of the responsibility for the conduct of censuses and surveys and integration of field staff of NSO and BAS for a more cost-effective utilization of limited human resources
- Intensify statistical research
- Priority attention to statistical archiving and development of time/linked series to important parameters collected in periodic surveys
- Provide more resources to improve/develop sampling frames – in the case of agricultural surveys, priority attention should be given to the development of area sampling frames
- Professionalize the practice of statistics
- Adoption of a statistical career system
II. Products and Services
What design and processes are in place to: (a) ensure soundness of methods;(b) assure integrity and comprehensiveness of PSS statistical outputs; and (c) ensure quality, timeliness and responsiveness to users’needs?
Please describe briefly how statistical outputs are disseminated to and accessed by clienteles/end-users, and how outputs are electronically archived. Are there users’ fees and how are these utilized?
Can you name some situations, if any, where you have had to deal with political interference in the release of your statistical products and services, as well in employment issues? And if so, how did you deal with these situations?
- In 1995, an election year, I recall that the BAS 1994 yearendsurvey showed that we would have rice shortfall;rice being a political committee, BAS subjected to pressure to provide a more rosy picture. Itwas left on its own to defend its rice figures. Very little assistance was given by NSCB or the PSS.
- The current practice of having plantilla positions is counterproductive. The over 50 MOS graduates produced by the 3-year USAID supported AAPP were not given the promotion they deserved due to absence of available vacancy.
III. Budget, Human Resources and Other Resources
How does the major statistical agency deal with budgetary constraints, especially in line with prioritization of statistical activities?
Have there been specific targets in your agency’s human resource development programs,such as number of graduates of statistics degrees within the next five or ten years?Is there a succession plan within the agency?Does the agency have other staffing needs or requirements that are unmet?
Have there been cases where logistical problems were encountered in the pursuit of agency mandates? Please cite specific cases.
Sometime in 1992 (I think) when government imposed budgetary cuts, the travel budget of BAS was drastically cut. Since most of the outputs/products of BAS (including NSO) are dependent on primary data collection work, the quality of its outputs (I would presume) would have been most likely adversely affected. To date, BAS (to my knowledge) has to rely on ad-hoc projects to augment its resources.
IV. Legal Framework (see my inputs – Statistics Act/Statistics Law)
The Philippines currently has no Statistics Act. What are the necessary elements of such a legal framework?
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of an autonomous Statistics Commission if the Philippines were to have one?
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Guide Questions for Heads, Former Heads and Former Senior Staff of Major Statistical Agencies