NSCB Resolution No. 2 
Series of 2013

APPROVING THE INSTITUTIONALIZATION
OF THE GENERATION OF DATA ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY- BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING SERVICES

WHEREAS, the Philippines has established itself globally as the leader in voice information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO)  and as preferred center for non-voice services, next only to India;

WHEREAS, the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2011-2016, has emphasized that to increase productivity and efficiency, the government shall give priority to the development of areas that have the highest growth potentials and can generate the most jobs, which include BPOs, among others;

WHEREAS, the Philippine Statistical Development Program (PSDP) 2011-2017, which identifies the statistical programs and activities that will address the information requirements of the 2011-2016 PDP, has reiterated the importance of institutionalizing the generation of data on ICT-BPO services in order to measure the contribution of the ICT-BPO services to the economy;   

WHEREAS, the NSCB Interagency Committee on Trade Statistics (IACTrS) through the Technical Working Group on Trade in Services (TWGTiS), initiated in 2006 the conduct of the IT and IT-Enabled Services Survey (now called Survey on IT-BPO Services), to provide a benchmark information to quantify the contribution of the ICT-BPO industry to the economy;

WHEREAS, given the urgency of generating the industry statistics, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) spearheaded the conduct of the 2005 Benchmark Survey on IT and IT-Enabled Services;

WHEREAS, the BSP in coordination with Philippine Export Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Board of Investments (BOI), has continued to undertake the annual surveys for years 2006-2011;   

WHEREAS, the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the IT-BPO associations through the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), also conduct separate surveys on the ICT-BPO services;  

WHEREAS, the conduct of three separate surveys on ICT-BPO Services result to different data sets for the industry;

WHEREAS, for more informed policy decisions on the industry, there is a need to institutionalize the regular generation of a more comprehensive, more frequent, up-to-date and single reliable data set on ICT-BPO services using harmonized concepts,  definitions and classifications, and consistent with international standards and industry practice;          

WHEREAS, the IACTrS and the TWGTiS have recognized NSO as the appropriate agency to institutionalize the generation of data on ICT- BPO services, given its mandate and existing establishment censuses/surveys;

WHEREAS, the BSP has been regularly presenting the results of the Survey on IT-BPO Services to the NSCB Executive Board along with the recommendation for NSO to institutionalize the generation of data on ICT-BPO services;

WHEREAS, the IACTrS and the TWG-TiS after several meetings have a) defined the scope and coverage of the ICT-BPO services industry based on the 2009 PSIC; b) identified the key variables/data requirements to be generated; and c) made the necessary refinements in the questionnaire of the existing establishments-based census/surveys;

WHEREAS, the NSO, during the Consultative Workshop Towards the Institutionalization of the Generation of Data on IT and ICT-Enabled Services held on 11-13 July 2012 in Pampanga, has agreed to institutionalize the generation and dissemination of data on ICT-BPO services (Annex BR-02-20130214-01) through the Census of Philippine Business and Industry (CPBI), the Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI) and the Quarterly Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (QSPBI); 

WHEREAS, the CPBI, ASPBI and QSPBI are designated statistical activities as provided under  Executive Order (EO) No. 352, Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and the Private Sector;

WHEREAS, EO 352 provides that designated statistical activities shall be appropriated budget by the government in the General Appropriations Act for their respective implementation;  

WHEREAS, in view of the foregoing, the IACTrS is endorsing for approval of the Board the institutionalization of the generation of data on ICT-BPO services;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the Board  approve the institutionalization of the generation of data on ICT-BPO services by the NSO through the conduct of the CPBI, ASPBI and QSPBI starting with 2012 as reference year;

BE IT RESOLVED FURTHER that the budget for the conduct of the CPBI, ASPBI and QSPBI be regularly appropriated by the Department of Budget and Management to the NSO per EO 352.

Approved this 14th day of February 2013 in Pasig City.

Attested by:

JOSE RAMON G. ALBERT
Secretary General