WHEREAS, the NSCB is mandated thru Executive Oder No. 121, “An Act Reorganizing and Strengthening the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) and For Other Purposes,” to establish statistical technical and interagency committees to assist it in the exercise of its functions;
WHEREAS, the generation of accurate, reliable and timely macroeconomic statistics is indispensable in macroeconomic planning and policymaking;
WHEREAS, a major statistical strategy identified in the Philippine Statistical Development Program (PSDP) 2011-2017 is the setting up of an Interagency Committee on Macroeconomic Accounts to address urgent issues in the various macroeconomic frameworks and as a starting point, the NSCB Technical Secretariat deemed it necessary to start with a framework that will touch on Philippine System of National Accounts (PSNA);
WHEREAS, the PSNA is a vital tool for economic analysis, decision making and policymaking;
WHEREAS, gaps remain in the data needed for the compilation and continuous improvement of PSNA and related indicators;
WHEREAS, methodological studies have to be undertaken to improve statistical techniques and quality of the PSNA;
WHEREAS, there is a need to continuously improve the compilation of the PSNA to ensure that statistics used in macroeconomic planning are relevant to the users;
WHEREAS, there is an increased demand among key users of macroeconomic statistics for continuous enhancement of the quality, relevance and usefulness of the PSNA and related accounts;
WHEREAS, the Board approved NSCB Resolution No. 1, s. 2013, on the establishment of the Technical Committee on the Philippine System of National Accounts;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Technical Committee on the Philippine System of National Accounts (TCPSNA) is hereby established with the following composition:
Chairperson: Tomas P. Africa
Private Consultant
Vice Chairperson: Jose Ramon G. Albert
Secretary General
National Statistical Coordination Board
Core Members: Michael M. Alba
President
Far Eastern University
Raymundo J. Talento
Director
Economic Statistics Office
National Statistical Coordination Board
Romulo A. Virola
Private Consultant
Other Members: Corazon R. Buenaventura
Private Consultant
Dr. Erniel B.Barrios
Dean
School of Statistics
University of the Philippines
Ma. Juanita Elegir-Cueto
Commissioner
Securities and Exchange Commission
Rosemarie G. Edillon
Assistant Director General, National Development Office
National Economic and Development Authority
Estela de Guzman
Director
Industry and Trade Statistics Department
National Statistics Office
Ma. Teresa Habitan
Assistant Secretary
Department of Finance
Dr. Gonzalo M. Jurado
Vice-President for Finance and Development
Kalayaan College
Marietta M. Lorenzo
Director
Cluster 1 National Government Sector
Commission on Audit
Andrea N. Morales
Private Consultant
Romeo S. Recide
Director
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics
Department of Agriculture
Marriel M. Remulla
Bank Officer V
Department Economic Statistics
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
The specific functions of the Committee are as follows:
- Review, discuss and assess current developments in the generation and compilation of the PSNA (e.g. quarterly national accounts, subnational accounts, income-outlay accounts) and other related accounts/statistics;
- Resolve issues on the generation, compilation and communication of Philippine national accounts estimates;
- Recommend methodologies and estimation procedures appropriate for an early release of the national accounts;
- Provide technical direction and expert advice on the generation, analysis, and dissemination of the PSNA taking into consideration the best practices in the generation of national accounts statistics in different countries;
- Recommend measures to ensure that the data requirements for the national accounts estimation are being produced by the concerned agencies;
- Recommend policy agenda to the NSCB Executive Board on improving data quality being generated for the compilation of the PSNA and related accounts/statistics; and
- Prioritize outputs that will address the more urgent statistical concerns such as those required to carry out the programs set forth in the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 and Philippine Statistical Development Program 2011-2017.
The membership of the TCPSNA may be increased or decreased, as the exigencies of its work require, provided that this shall be authorized by the NSCB Secretary General. Furthermore, the Committee may invite other individuals or experts as resource persons as the need for them arises.
To enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the TCPSNA, the NSCB Technical Staff shall review its composition on an annual basis and recommend its reconstitution, if deemed necessary. For more effective conduct of meetings, the identified TCPSNA core group shall serve as basis for determining its quorum. The NSCB Technical Staff shall continue to provide technical, secretariat, and logistics support to the TCPSNA. It shall also monitor compliance to policies formulated and report periodically to the NSCB Executive Board.
The Committee may establish technical working groups (TWGs) and task forces (TFs), as the need arises, to assist in the exercise of its functions, subject to the approval of the NSCB Secretary General. Technical, secretariat, and logistics support to the TWGs/TFs shall be provided by the concerned agencies. Other member-agencies are enjoined to give same support whenever deemed necessary by the Committee.
The Technical Committee shall adhere to the NSCB Guidelines for Interagency Committees, Technical Committees, Technical Working Groups, and Task Forces in the implementation of its activities and in the preparation of reports and recommendations. It shall submit to the Secretary General its work program and shall report on the progress of its work, including the findings and recommendations on issues referred to it.
This Memorandum Order takes effect on 22 March 2013.
ARSENIO M. BALISACAN
Secretary of Socioeconomic Planning
and Chairman, NSCB
