NSCB Resolution No. 4
Series of 2003

APPROVING THE 2003 MASTER SAMPLE DESIGN
FOR HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS

WHEREAS, a master sample is a sample from which subsamples can be selected to serve the needs of different surveys and the 1996 master sample is the current master sample for household surveys in the Philippine Statistical System (PSS);

WHEREAS, there is a need to redesign the 1996 master sample because of the following reasons: (a) the current master sample has been found to provide less precise estimates, (b) there is a need to take into consideration the new administrative regions and the recent data from the 2000 Census of Population and Housing, and (c) to ensure enough samples until 2012 since the 1996 master sample does not have sufficient sample anymore;

WHEREAS, the National Statistics Office (NSO), through financial assistance provided by the Asian Development Bank and with local and foreign consultants providing technical assistance, pursued the modifications of the 1996 master sample and came up with the 2003 master sample design for household surveys which features a new frame and geographic configuration and other improvements, such as taking into account the precision of estimates produced, with due consideration of the available resources for surveys and the requirements of data users;

WHEREAS, the NSO conducted a users’ forum on the 2003 master sample design to serve as the venue for presenting the new and improved design for household surveys;

WHEREAS, the NSO presented the 2003 master sample design to the Technical Committee on Survey Design (TCSD) which recommended approval by the NSCB Executive Board for adoption by the PSS;

WHEREAS, the NSO agreed to address the following concerns raised by the NSCB Technical Staff during the TCSD meeting: (a) the public use files that will be released by the NSO should, in accordance with Executive Order No. 352 – System of Designated Statistics, allow the NSCB to derive estimates of poverty threshold/incidence at the provincial level, (b) generation of urban-rural disaggregations that could possibly be done through post stratification because of the ongoing review of the urban-rural definition, and (c) indirect estimation of subregional data to be generated by the agencies responsible to produce the designated statistics, such as NSO in the case of LFS, FIES and other household surveys, and NSCB in the case of poverty threshold and incidence;

WHEREAS, the modifications on the master sample design are part of the efforts to improve the quality of data generated by the PSS in order to provide users with reliable, relevant and useful household-based data;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the Board approve the 2003 master sample design for household surveys.

Approved this 23rd day of June 2003, in Pasig City.

Attested by:

ROMULO A. VIROLA
Secretary General