The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), through the Statistical Policies and Programs Division of the Standards Service, conducted the briefing on Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Philippine Statistical System (PSS) Budget Preparation on 16 February 2021. It was attended by a total of 129 onsite and online participants from government agencies (departments and their attached agencies, and other executive and constitutional offices) and the PSA. The briefing was held to orient and/or reorient agencies in the PSS on how to prepare their respective statistical budgets, e.g., what activities are covered and what should be considered in the budget preparation, among others.

The activity formally started with the Welcome Remarks delivered by PSA Undersecretary Dennis S. Mapa, Ph.D., National Statistician and Civil Registrar General. In his message, he underscored the importance of investing in statistics especially in the midst of the prevailing global health crisis in order to provide the right information to the right people at the right time, towards more informed decisions and policies that will help steer the country’s economy back to recovery.

PSA Officer-in-charge (OIC) Deputy National Statistician Minerva Eloisa P. Esquivias presented an overview of the briefing where she also outlined its objectives as follows:

1. Brief the agencies regarding budget preparation;
2. Familiarize participants about the statistical budget review process, i.e., guidelines, timelines, and forms;
3. Reorient participants on specific considerations and procedures in preparing budget for statistical activities; and
4. Clarify issues/concerns regarding budget frameworks/guidelines and statistical budget preparation/review process. 

To address these objectives, resource persons from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the PSA presented the following topics: a) Program Expenditure Classification (PREXC) Approach; b) Guidelines in the Updating of Tier 1 and Formulation of Tier 2 Budget Proposals; b) Online Submission of Budget Proposals (OSBP) version 2.0; c) Updates in the Budget Preparation (BP) Calendar; d) Budgetary Thrusts of the PSS for 2021-2023; e) Considerations for FY 2022 Statistical Budget; and f) the Statistical Budget Review System. Issues were clarified and questions raised were answered during the Open Forum.

The activity ended with Closing Remarks from PSA OIC-Assistant National Statistician Severa B. de Costo who described the activity as a productive and fulfilling one. She expressed hope that the activity has equipped the participants with the necessary knowledge to prepare their respective budgets in the context of each agency’s mandates and aligned with the budget priorities of the DBM.

The annual review of the budgetary proposals involving statistical operations of government agencies is pursuant to Republic Act No. 10625 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, National Budget Memorandum No. 138 issued by the DBM on 06 January 2021 requires endorsements 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

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