NSCB Resolution No.10
Series of 2002

PRESCRIBING THE USE OF REFERENCE YEAR IN THE
TITLE OF CENSUSES AND SURVEYS

WHEREAS, pursuant to Executive Order No. 121, one of the major functions of the NSCB is to establish appropriate mechanisms for statistical coordination;

WHEREAS, the Statistical Survey Review and Clearance System (SSRCS) as one of these coordination mechanisms, involves the review of the technical aspects of the censuses and surveys to be conducted/sponsored by government agencies, including the title of the census/survey;

WHEREAS, in some surveys, the reference year and the year of conduct are the same while for other surveys, these years do not jibe;

WHEREAS, there has been a proposal by the National Statistics Office to shift from reference year to year of conduct in naming its establishment surveys;         

WHEREAS, the concern on having standards in naming censuses and surveys, particularly the year attached to the title, was raised in the NSCB Technical Committee on Survey Design (TCSD) in order to avoid confusion among data producers and users;

WHEREAS, one major consideration on the use of reference year is the timeliness of statistics generated wherein the timelag is measured as the time elapsed from the reference period to the time of release of statistics;

WHEREAS, the NSCB Technical Staff, in consultation with the heads/representatives of the major statistical agencies, recommends the use of the reference year in the title of censuses and surveys for adoption by the Philippine Statistical System for the following reasons:  (a)  timelag is determined vis-à-vis the reference year;  and  (b) users find it easier to relate when the year covered by the survey is reflected in the questionnaire and publication;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the Board approve for adoption the recommendation of the NSCB Technical Staff to use the reference year in the title of censuses and surveys.

Approved this 5th day of June 2002, in Pasig City.