09 October 2023 – QUEZON CITY. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) conducts the National Data Dissemination Forum on the results of the 2021 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI), which was spearheaded by the Economic Sector Statistics Service (ESSS) of the Sectoral Statistics Office (SSO). The ASPBI is one of the designated statistical activities of the PSA that aims to generate essential statistics for economic planning and analysis. It is specifically designed to collect and generate information on the levels, structure, performance, and trends of economic activities of the formal sector of the country’s economy.
The data dissemination forum aims to present the highlights of the 2021 ASPBI in comparison with the results of the 2020 ASPBI, which captured data on the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and the 2019 ASPBI, which covered data prior to the pandemic. It also serves as an avenue in recognizing the cooperation of responding sample establishments in the conduct of the ASPBI.
The half-day event was attended by participants from major government agencies, sample establishments, and other stakeholders. It was conducted on a hybrid setup, which allowed onsite and virtual attendance at the forum.
Assistant Secretary Divina Gracia L. Del Prado, Deputy National Statistician of the SSO, delivered the welcome message where she highlighted the objectives and uses of the survey. She also acknowledged the invaluable support and cooperation of the sample respondents. Furthermore, she extended her sincerest appreciation to all the participants for their efforts in attending the forum and hoped for a productive discussion.
The event was graced by PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General. In his welcome remarks, he emphasized the PSA’s role as the central statistical agency of the Philippine government on primary data collection for various statistics, which are useful in the formulation of socioeconomic development plans, policies, and programs.
Undersecretary Mapa also extended PSA’s gratitude to all the sample establishments for their active participation in the survey and for submitting their data on time. He reiterated that surveys being conducted by PSA will not be successful without the unwavering support from the sample establishments. Lastly, he emphasized that the PSA is working to further improve the ASPBI so that the results will be released earlier.
Assistant Director Richard Emerson D. Ballester of the National Economic and Development Authority served as the keynote speaker during the event. In his keynote address, he suggested for the review of the timeline of the release of the ASPBI for timely policies, programs, and projects to address issues and concerns pertaining to the country’s economy.
Officer-in-Charge Assistant National Statistician Rachel C. Lacsa of the ESSS presented the final results of the 2021 ASPBI. This was followed by the key insights from the discussants, Atty. Ma. Theresa G. Faustino of the Department of Trade and Industry - Bureau of Trade and Industrial Policy Research and Mr. Neil Irwin S. Moreno of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Atty. Faustino emphasized the need to harmonize the definition of Micro, Small, and Medium Establishments (MSMEs) for more aggressive policies that will help businesses and industries in capturing the economic contribution of the creative industry and measuring the contribution of the digital economy. Furthermore, Mr. Moreno emphasized the significance of the services sections of the economy, acceleration in the digital adoption, innovation, and growth of MSMEs, and fostering inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic growth and development.
Chief Statistical Specialist Mark C. Pascasio of the Expenditure and Integrated Accounts Division served as the moderator during the open forum. Some of the questions raised were the penalty for not complying with the survey and how samples are being selected. The PSA Officials responded to these questions accordingly.
The event was also highlighted by the awarding of certificates, plaques, and tokens of appreciation to selected sample establishments for their timely submission of quality data. The awards were received by the representatives of the outstanding sample establishments.
To formally end the forum, Chief Statistical Specialist Soraya C. De Guzman of the Services Statistics Division delivered a closing message. She expressed her deepest gratitude to everyone who participated in the forum, as well as those involved in organizing it.
The forum can be watched through this link: https://fb.watch/nG87TSx3B1/.
- Economic Sector Statistics Service, Sectoral Statistics Office
