PSA Provincial Focal Person checking the specifications of the commodities provided by the key informant in Abatan, Buguias, Benguet for the 2021 Survey of Key Informants

As part of the activities for this year’s rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all income households from base year 2012 to base year 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) conducted the 2021 Survey of Key Informants (SKI) nationwide from 08 to 12 March 2021.

The 2021 SKI aims to inquire from the key informants (store manager, storekeeper/seller, or proprietor) the commodities and their corresponding specifications that are still available and, most of the time, saleable to consumers. It also aims to capture new outlets/stores which are being patronized by the consumers, and which sell new saleable commodities.

The results of the survey will be used to update the composition of goods and services to be included in the market basket for the generation of the monthly CPI and inflation rate, and the list of sample stores where prices of goods and services are to be collected regularly.

An in-house android-based application was developed to record directly the data using mobile device, while conducting face-to-face interview to the key informants.

All the hired data collectors of the PSA ensured the strict implementation of health and safety protocols for the containment of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the data collection for their safety and the safety of the key informants.

The PSA plans to release the 2018-based CPI series by the fourth quarter of 2021 upon review and approval of its methodology by the PSA Board.

-Price Statistics Division, Economic Sector Statistics Service