The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), through the Statistical Policies and Programs Division of the Standards Service, conducted the Briefing and Workshop on Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Statistical Budget Preparation, on 28 February 2023. It was attended by a total of 110 participants from 47 government agencies including executive offices, constitutional bodies, and the PSA.

The briefing was held to orient and/or reorient the agencies in the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) on how to prepare their respective statistical budgets and to clarify issues/concerns regarding budget framework/guidelines and statistical budget preparation/review process.

Officer-in-Charge-Deputy National Statistician Minerva Eloisa P. Esquivias delivered the Welcome Remarks, on behalf of PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa. She emphasized that the government must acknowledge the critical needs to invest in statistics and improve data utilization as the country continues to face various persisting and emerging concerns. She also mentioned that the PSS needs to invest more in digitalization which has been indispensable especially during the pandemic and has led to more effective and prompt delivery of quality statistical products and services.

The resource persons from the PSA, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) presented, clarified issues, and answered questions that were raised on the following topics:

1. Considerations for FY 2024 Statistical Budget;
2. Salient Features of National Budget Memorandum (NBM) No. 145;
3. Fiscal Planning;
4. Tier 2 Budget Preparation;
5. Statistical Budget Review System; and
6. Sharing of Good Practices and Experiences during Statistical Budget Preparation

During the workshop proper, the participants identified the statistical activities to be conducted by their respective agencies using the PSA monitoring and evaluation forms for statistical budget proposals.

The activity ended with the Closing Remarks from Ms. Lotis I. Ira who described the activity as a productive and fulfilling one. She expressed gratitude to the participants for attending and participating despite their busy schedules. She also reminded the participants on the deadline for the submission of the tier 2 budget proposals to the PSA and to ensure that their statistical budget proposals are included in the overall budget submission of their respective agencies.

The annual review of budgetary proposals involving statistical operations of government agencies is pursuant to Republic Act No. 10625 or also known as the “Philippine Statistical Act of 2013,” mandating the PSA Board to review statistical budget proposals and submit an integrated budget for the PSS to the DBM. Likewise, NBM No. 145 issued by the DBM on 12 January 2023 requires endorsement from concerned agencies on matters such as the System of Designated Statistics (SDS) pursuant to Executive Order No. 352 “Designation of Statistical Activities That Will Generate Critical Data for Decision-Making of the Government and Private Sector.”

- Standards Service, Censuses and Technical Coordination Office