AN ACT REORGANIZING THE PHILIPPINE STATISTICAL SYSTEM

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 10625 (Philippine Statistical Act of 2013)

Declaration of Policy (Section 2)
- Reorganize the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) to promote efficiency and effectiveness in statistical services.
- Maintain an integrated statistical system characterized by independence, objectivity, and integrity.
- Support decentralization through statistical infrastructure for local development planning.

Reorganization of the PSS (Section 3)
- The PSS shall be reorganized structurally and functionally in accordance with this Act.

Philippine Statistical System (Section 4)
- The PSS consists of statistical organizations, personnel, and the national statistical program.
- It includes a policy-making body, a coordinating body with data collection capability, a statistical research and training institute, and all government agencies engaged in statistical activities.

Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) (Section 5)
- The PSA shall be created, attached to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for policy coordination.
- It shall comprise the PSA Board, offices on sectoral statistics, censuses and technical coordination, civil registration, and central support and field statistical services.
- The PSA Board shall be the highest policy-making body on statistical matters.
- The data produced by the PSA shall be the official and controlling statistics of the government.

Functions of the PSA (Section 6)
- Serve as the central statistical authority for primary data collection.
- Prepare and conduct periodic censuses on population, housing, agriculture, fisheries, business, industry, and other sectors.
- Collect, compile, analyze, and publish statistical information on various aspects of the country.
- Carry out and administer civil registration functions in the country.
- Collaborate with government departments and agencies in collecting and publishing statistical information.
- Promote and develop integrated social and economic statistics, including national accounts.
- Develop and maintain frameworks and standards for data collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination.
- Coordinate with government agencies on the promotion and adoption of statistical standards.
- Conduct methodological and analytical activities to improve censuses, surveys, and data collection.
- Recommend executive and legislative measures to enhance statistical activities and programs.
- Prepare the Philippine Statistical Development Program (PSDP).
- Implement policies on statistical matters and coordination, as directed by the PSA Board.

Composition of the PSA Board (Section 7)
- The PSA Board shall be composed of the NEDA Director-General (Chairperson), the Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (Vice Chairperson), the National Statistician, representatives from government departments, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippine Statistical Association, government-owned and -controlled corporations, the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, and the private sector.

Powers and Functions of the PSA Board (Section 9)
- Establish mechanisms to promote an efficient and effective statistical system in the government.
- Formulate policies on government statistical operations, standards, and classifications.
- Review statistical programs of government agencies and rationalize responsibilities.
- Review budgetary proposals involving statistical operations and submit an integrated budget.
- Prescribe frameworks for improving statistical coordination and establish coordination mechanisms at regional and local levels.
- Provide technical assistance and supervision over major government statistical activities.
- Recommend executive and legislative measures to enhance the development and efficiency of the system.
- Approve the Philippine Statistical Development Program (PSDP).

Inter-Agency Committees on Statistics (Section 10)
- Inter-agency statistical committees (IACs) shall be created by the PSA Board to coordinate and resolve sectoral concerns on statistical matters.
- The IACs shall serve as forums for discussion of issues raised by producers, users, and stakeholders of sectoral and agency-specific statistics.
- The PSA Board may create or abolish IACs as appropriate.

The National Statistician (Section 11)
- The National Statistician shall be appointed by the President from a list of nominees submitted by a Special Committee.
- The National Statistician shall serve for a term of five (5) years and may be reappointed.
- The National Statistician shall direct and supervise the general administration of the PSA, prescribe rules and regulations, provide overall direction in implementing the Civil Registry Law, direct and manage the implementation of policies, standards, rules and regulations formulated by the PSA Board, and represent the Philippines in regional and international conferences and meetings on statistical matters.

Organizational Structure of the PSA (Section 12)
- The PSA offices shall be composed of the Sectoral Statistics Office, Censuses and Technical Coordination Office, Civil Registration and Central Support Office, and Field Statistical Services.
- The PSA shall be headed by a National Statistician and assisted by three (3) Deputy National Statisticians.

Sectoral Statistics Office (Section 13)
- Provide technical staff support to the PSA in various sectors, including agriculture, natural resources, manufacturing, trade, services, finance, population, health, education, labor and employment, and social welfare.
- Provide technical staff support in generating national accounts and developing economic and social accounts.
- Plan and conduct surveys as required, in accordance with the approved statistical calendar.

Censuses and Technical Coordination Office (Section 14)
- Prepare, conduct, process, and disseminate census results in accordance with the approved statistical calendar.
- Maintain and develop statistical standards and classification systems.
- Provide technical assistance to other government offices to meet their statistical requirements.
- Coordinate the activities of the Regional Statistical Services.
- Provide information technology systems and programming support for PSA projects.
- Provide cartographic services and maintain archives and communication and information services of PSA-generated data.

Civil Registration and Central Support Office (Section 15)
- Provide technical and support services to the PSA in administrative services, financial management services, and human resources.
- Provide technical and support services for the efficient functioning of the civil registration system.

Field Statistical Services (Section 16)
- Regional Statistical Services Office (RSSO) and Provincial Statistical Office (PSO) shall be established in each administrative region and province.
- The RSSO and PSO shall provide technical staff support to the PSA, technical assistance to implementing agencies and local governments, and perform other tasks assigned by the National Statistician.

Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI) (Section 17)
- The PSRTI shall be created and attached to the NEDA for policy coordination.
- The Statistical Research and Training Center (SRTC) is abolished, and its assets, liabilities, appropriations, records, and personnel shall be transferred to the PSRTI.

Functions of the PSRTI (Section 18)
- Develop a comprehensive and integrated research and training program on statistical theories, concepts, and methodologies.
- Undertake research on statistical concepts, definitions, and methods.
- Promote collaborative research efforts among the academic community, data producers, and users.
- Conduct non-degree training programs to upgrade the quality of statistics personnel and expand the statistics human resource base.
- Provide scholarships, financial assistance, and other forms of assistance to build statistical manpower and enhance training, research, and development.
- Serve as a repository of statistical researches, studies, data archives, and databases.
- Invest funds in undertakings to carry out its objectives.

Composition of the PSRTI (Section 19)
- The PSRTI shall be headed by an Executive Director, nominated by the PSA Board and appointed by the President.
- The PSRTI shall have a governing board that shall formulate policies for its management and operations, chaired by the PSA Board Chairperson.

PSRTI Fellows and Associates (Section 20)
- The PSRTI shall be authorized to engage professionals as fellows or associates for conducting training sessions and researches.
- Fellows should have experience in research or training and preferably earned a doctorate degree in relevant fields, while associates should have earned at least a Master's degree.

PSRTI Endowment Fund (Section 21)
- The existing SRTC Endowment Fund shall be transferred to the PSRTI and serve as the initial PSRTI endowment fund.
- The PSRTI is authorized to accept contributions, donations, bequests, grants, loans, government appropriations, and other incomes for executing its mandate and functions.
- The amount necessary to augment the endowment fund shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

PSRTI Operating Funds (Section 22)
- The amount appropriated for the operating fund of the SRTC under the current General Appropriations Act shall constitute the initial operating fund of the PSRTI.
- The government contribution necessary to support the research and training programs of the PSRTI shall be determined based on the annual financial plan approved by its Governing Board and submitted to the Department of Budget and Management.

Posting of Statistical Personnel in Government Offices (Section 23)
- The PSA may post teams of its statistical personnel in other government offices to carry out the work program drawn up in coordination with the host offices.
- The posted teams shall be proportional to the size and needs of the government offices.
- Posted personnel shall be supervised by the Deputy National Statistician for Sectoral Statistics and shall render fortnightly statistical reports to the Office of the National Statistician.
- Heads of host offices shall submit periodic performance evaluation reports on posted personnel to the National Statistician.

Philippine Statistical Development Program (PSDP) (Section 24)
- The PSDP shall consist of all statistical activities to be undertaken by the PSS in response to the requirements of development planning and policy formulation.

Obligation to Provide Information (Section 25)
- The National Statistician shall determine whether a statistical inquiry or survey has an obligation to provide information.
- If such obligation is stipulated, all respondents, whether natural or legal persons, shall be liable to reply truthfully and completely.
- The respondent is considered to have complied upon receipt of the duly completed statistical inquiry or survey forms.
- The government shall provide franking privileges, charges, and postings to the survey offices, unless otherwise disallowed by law.
- The PSA is authorized to gather data from other government agencies for statistical purposes.

Confidentiality of Information (Section 26)
- Individual data furnished by a respondent to statistical inquiries, surveys, and censuses of the PSA shall be considered privileged communication and inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding.
- The PSA may release aggregated information from statistical inquiries, surveys, and censuses in the form of summaries or statistical tables without individual references.
- The National Statistician and all PSA staff shall take a solemn oath regarding confidentiality of information.
- Confidentiality of information does not apply to certain information, such as lists or indexes of business firms, establishments or organizations, microdata for research purposes, and census data after one hundred (100) years for historical, genealogical, scientific or other research purposes.

Penalties (Section 27)
- Respondents of primary data collection activities are obliged to give truthful and complete answers to statistical inquiries.
- Any violation of this Act shall result in the imposition of one (1) year imprisonment and a fine of One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00).
- For corporations, the penalty shall be imposed against the responsible officer, director, manager, and/or agent, and a fine ranging from One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00) to Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00), depending on the category of the enterprise or business.
- Any person who breaches the confidentiality of information shall be liable to fines prescribed by the PSA Board, which shall not be less than Five thousand pesos (P5,000.00) nor more than Ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00) and/or imprisonment of three (3) months but not to exceed one (1) year, subject to the degree of breach.
- Failure to comply with the survey clearance provision shall be penalized by a fine of Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00) to One hundred thousand pesos (P100,000.00), depending on the gravity and seriousness of such non-compliance.

Abolition of Existing Government Bodies (Section 28)
- The National Statistics Office (NSO), the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) of the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) of the Department of Labor and Employment, and the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) shall be abolished.
- Their appropriations, records, properties, and personnel shall be transferred to the PSA.

Transitory Provisions (Section 29)
- The PSA shall carry out the reorganization of the PSS in such a manner that personnel of the absorbed agencies shall continue to perform their duties and responsibilities in a holdover capacity, so as not to unduly delay the production of statistics from ongoing censuses, surveys, and processing of administrative records.

Early Retirement, Separation Pay and Other Benefits (Section 30)
- Personnel of the merged agencies who will not be absorbed into the new staffing pattern due to redundancy or failure to comply with standards, or who decline appointment due to diminution in rank, benefits, and work conditions, shall be given the option to avail themselves of retirement gratuity, retirement benefit, separation or unemployment benefit, and other applicable incentives and benefits.

Funds for Reorganization (Section 31)
- The amount necessary for the effective implementation of this Act shall be taken from funds available to the agencies enumerated in Section 28.
- Additional requirements shall be charged to the appropriations under the current General Appropriations Act.
- Thereafter, such sum as may be needed for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Implementing Rules and Regulations (Section 32)
- The PSA Board, together with the PSA, the PSRTI, the NEDA, and other concerned agencies, shall formulate the implementing rules and regulations of this Act within ninety (90) days after its approval.
- Such rules and regulations shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.

Separability Clause (Section 33)
- If any part, section or provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, no other parts, sections or provisions shall be affected.

Repealing Clause (Section 34)
- Executive Order No. 121 is hereby repealed.
- All other laws, decrees, ordinances, rules, regulations, other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Effectivity Clause (Section 35)
- This Act shall take effect upon its approval.