Transcript of FGD with Government Units, Leagues and Other Sectors
05 December 2007
Romulo Hall, Makati City
Attendance:
Review Committee:
1. Dr. Vicente Valdepeñas, Jr. - Chairman
2. Dr. Isidoro David - Member
3. Dr. Cielito Habito - Member
4. Dr. Mercedes Concepción - Member
5. Dr. Lisa Grace Bersales - Member
From PIDS Mancom:
Mr. Mario C. Feranil - OIC, OVP
Representatives from the government units, leagues and other sectors:
1. Ms. Ludivinia Gador - Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
2. Mr. Alex Victoria - Department of Trade and Industry
3. Ms. Ma. Lourdes Yaptinchay - Department of Trade and Industry
4. Ma. Hazel M. Nicolas - Department of Trade and Industry
5. Mr. Jesse Alcaraz - League of Provinces of the Philippines
6. Mr. Rommel Balaoi - League of Municipalities of the Philippines
7. Mr. Pat de Quiroz - Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines
Inter-Agency Secretariat:
1. Dr. Celia Reyes (PIDS) - Head
2. Dr. Jose Ramon Albert - Member, Secretariat
3. Ms. Monina Collado (NSO) - Member, Secretariat
4. Ms. Lina Castro (NSCB) - Member, Secretariat
5. Ms. Edith Rivera (BLES) - Member
6. Ms. Lily Elloso (SRTC) - Member
7. Ms. Maura Lizarondo (BAS) - Member
8. Ms. Marilen Macasaquit - Support Staff
9. Mr. Andre Ramos - Support Staff
10. Ms. Lourdes Catacutan - Support Staff
11. Ms.Barbara Gualvez - Support Staff
Facilitator: Dr. Jose Ramon Albert
The FGD started 9:37 a.m. with Dr. Albert as facilitator guiding the participants through the presentation on the key issues of the FGD. He also requested everyone to introduce themselves.
FGD Proper:
Organizational structure & linkages
LMP: WE have as a current project, clustering of Philippine municipalities according to income, topography, demography, all types of data. We observed that in our PSS, we only cluster local government to provinces and regions and no available information that would cluster local govt into municipalities so we have to go around different agencies just to get stats on municipalities on population, income level, demography, type of upland or lowland. And in the statistical yearbook, there’s only cluster into regions and provinces so we have to generate data by going around different agencies. It would benefit municipalities if we have ready to use statistics that will cater to specific needs of like, profile of my municipalities, where can I get it? Each has own profile but they have to validate it with the national agencies. We have to validate various data like crime rate in a municipality and how do you compare that with the rate of provinces? We generated our own data, classifying municipalities into upland, coastal, lowland, no. of females, males, poverty level, lots of categories and we want to publish that into clustering of phil municipalities. We’re happy to tell you that we’ve just finished our study on clustering municipalities, we generated our own data classifying municipalities into upland, coastal, lowland, income level, no. of female/male, no. of poverty level, lots of categories and we want to publish it. That important to policy devt and project devt.
Valdepeñas: I just want to inform Prof. Balaoi that in our regional visit to CDO, the NSCB produces this document by province. Lahat nito my municipal and city breakdown so sa health, municipality to city, fully immunized chidren, given vitamin A, Malaybalay, Valencia, there’s a breakdown by municipalities. According to Dr. Virola, this kind of statistics is produced by regional offices ng NSCB. Sa crime rime, the tabulation is by province, murder, homicide, robbery, theft, nandito. You need to touch base with the NSCB regional offices kasi yung hinahanap mo, marami dyan sa data points hinahanap mo are here. Sa Bukidnon, every province covered by NSCB.
Albert: DTI?
DTI: I’d like to comment that sometimes it’s the lack of appreciation of the importance of statistics. Not all of them really use the data published. In DTI, we’re user of data like trade stats. We have priority industries but basically, data come from NSO, investments data come from PEZA, BOI. We work with IACs under NSCB. Sometimes the kind of data we need for policy analysis are not available. Like data on services, there’s lack of data in that sector. We try to come up with a framework, we have some indicators but how do we get data? Some of them are derived from the administrative and operational functions of the agencies but some of them require conducting surveys. And that’s the problem because NSO wld say they have no resources for that kind of survey. Hindi nabibigyan ng importance ang statistical activities.
Albert: How effective are IACs?
DTI: We sit in several IACs. I find that workable kasi you get inputs from various agencies. That way, you also avoid duplication. Magusap nalang kayo kung pano kumuha ng data. Ang issue lang namin, yung sa SMEs, kasi ang NSO by employment ang official definition dapat my capitalization. Yun yung mga issues that we want to raise, sa work program sa 2008. In terms of investments data, we have the FDIs, pero ano ba talaga data kailangan gamitin natin? Kasi we have approvals, then we have data on actual inflows. You have to put down the source. We use balance of payments data. Lagi kami kinukulit. Wala ba tayong system on determining realized investments? We have proj. approvals pero wala na tracking down on realized. We want to suggest a system in tracking down ano so we can have data on realized investments.
Albert: How do you, you’ve articulated them already in several NSCB committees, how do you consider, the system has its own constraints, there’s no resources for matching your particular needs. What do you suggest to improve the sys, how wld your problems be addressed?
DTI: There are times that we propose projects kasi but we have to go through, yun nga e priorities. Napakaliit ng budget ng DTI; if you look at our statistical projects, konti lang talaga. Wala kasi sa core mandate ng DTI na mag-generate ng data unlike NSO.
BSP: In terms of org structure, I understand there are offices of NSO and NSCB in the regions. Are there also reps from these offices? I was thinking that, if statistics are generated in the municipalities, then going up to the provinces then to the regions, that would be better. So less resources. The municipalities also need statistics so they have to generate their own which can be used by the provinces and on to the regions. So mas maganda setup nun.
Albert: Thank you. Any further comments on this topic?
David: This is addressed to the LMP. We’ve been going on that one major problem is increasing demand for local area stats including municipal level stats. But as we have also been told repeatedly, the present stat set up, the data collection machinery set up ng NSO and BAS, they’re not designed to collect enough data at those levels that the results can be credible. Like, the major surveys of NSO can only give you, at best provincial, and in some cases, regional level. So the EOs that underpin the present level were promulgated before the LGC. So one possible solution is dahil yun mga LGUs meron rin automatic share of revenues, they shd bear the burden partially of the requirements ng data at their levels. Yun bang municipalities would they be prepared to set up or appoint statistics officers, on permanent basis, whose main functions wld be to get data at the municipal level? If that proposal will be ano to the mayors, wld they be amenable to such a suggestion na dapat my permanent position ng statistics sa municipalities? Like a civil registrar? Paid by the local govt, trained by NSO on how to collect data pero paid by the local govt? If such a suggestion is put up, payag ba ang most local govts?
LMP: I’m glad that you raised that and that’s one of our major plans initially for municipal planning officers on how to use statistics on planning. Planning shd be evidence based. Based on initial survey of our municipalities, many esp. 3rd or 4th class municipalities don’t have staff that are adequately trained in stats system so they have to hire statisticians particularly on comprehensive land use plan. Unfortunately, you have to create positions and to create positions at the local level, is mahirap e.
ULAP: Basically, the LGUs are users of data. In fact, in the LGC, there are so many positions that have been devolved to the LGUs and I think that’s going to add another burden to the LGUs. They’re not in the frontline of delivering basic services. So I’d like to disabuse the notion that the LGAs have the potential of generating data. It’s not the main function of LGUs e. Most of the data from LGUs are collected by the DOH, NSO and the major agencies but we don’t generate them ourselves. We’d rather use statistics po.
Valdepeñas: For your information, dun din sa CDO, we went to Iligan and we were surprised that the since 1993 the city council has appropriated P100T to assist what they describe as the statistical council of the city of Iligan. Whether the mayor is new or not, this council keeps operating and it includes 2 professors of MSU-IIT which has a BS program and masters program in statistics. We were also informed that in Northern Mindanao, several other provinces are beginning to do this. They are following the example of the Iligan city council. In the life of the LGUs today, it’s not unheard of that some city mayors have recognized the value of supporting statistical effort within their own jurisdiction. Maybe the problem is how to replicate that in other cities and municipalities in the Philippines.
ULAP: That will be a matter of initative of LGUs but LGUs in general especially the 4th – 6th class LGUs, kasi the proposal is for the LGUs to take the cudgels of generating stats for their own use. Most of them will be willing to lend a desk but not to pay for salary of statisticians.
Valdepeñas: Dun sa CDO, the secretariat of the council is the city planning officer and he is a CESO and he’s been there for a long time. He ensures the continuity. So there might be something to emulate in Iligan that Prof. Balaoi can look into. You might want to talk to the mayors about it. Obviously, for 5th-6th municipalities, baka hindi nila kaya but those cities that can baka they can get more IRA. The reason why Tuguegarao wans to be citified was to get more money. The point is, there are now cities in the Phils. that have financial capability. Itong sa Iligan is a very good model. You might want to discuss this in the Mayors Devt Center.
Rivera: I’d also like to share with you the experience of La Union. There is a position for statistician under the planning office but they have problem hiring a competent statistician. Parang everywere, given that impression that the local govt units can have 2 units under the planning office. It is provided in the LGC that the statistician position be created under the planning office.
Albert: The whole point is the system right now is to provide info for national planning purposes. But since there has been a devolution of power, after the fact of creation of mandate, the question is given the situation that the LGUs have data needs that the system can’t address, and there are certain LGUs like Iligan that are active, but the question is, are these being done systematically? And as pointed out, if there are certain LGUs whether 5th class, 6th class which shd be needing more data, what can the system do? In theory, the LGUs have their own money, but can they pool their money? What can we do to address certain problems? Given the current institutional set up within the system. I hope we could think about this.
Valdepeñas: On trade information, the NSO doesn’t have all that largesse, so ang ginagawa namin sa BSP, when we were aware that the call centers were beginning to prosper, we talked to the NSCB if they will be willing to do a survey funded by BSP on that and they did. Same with the NSO on the OFW remittances, we wanted to find out how many of them go thru the banking system. Maybe you can find in the budget in DTI some money, you can have a partnership with the NSO because they have the network on these SMEs kasi malaking program yan of the national govt so you’ll have to persuade the Sec to find some money in the budget and NSO who have trained statisticians can design surveys for you to do this kind of info for SMEs.
Mandates and functions
Albert: Relative to specific mandate of the system that we’ve already been discussing, we’d like to know your views on how to assess info outputs? Adaptability of system? On a scale of 1-10 of the sys currently how is it able to deliver its outputs? Vis-a-vis your own specific needs?
DTI: In terms of outputs, there’s this survey for ICT that was published 2001 and since then, it’s supposed to be the baseline data pero since then, ang dami nang naging developments in terms of technology pero hindi pa nasusundan so walang follow up sa surveys so ang nanyayari, if you want to compare Phils. with other countries, yun lagi ang problema, hindi kasi yearly so walang regular output na data na kailangan natin.
Albert: Do you consider that, one issue is sustainability. You have a survey to meet a particular need but there’ve been no specific set of activities to ensure these statistical activities. It’s easy to identify the problem but finding a solution is another matter.
DTI: There’s an IAC under the NSCB and I hope that committee can address sustainability kasi lack of data in the services sector is really, kulang in terms of policy recommendations kasi if you don’t have sound data.
BSP: In terms of timeliness, there’ve been a lot of improvements. Kaya lang parang my problema pa rin, because of resources. In the case of NSO, one time, there’s supposed to do a survey kasi wala raw pondo, so what do we do about that? Timeliness pa rin ng output yun kasi they have to produce something but there’s no money to do a survey.