PSA urges business owners 

accurate, timely CPBI data 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, July 6 (PIA)—Just how important is giving honest accurate data to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) during its conducted surveys? 

For PSA Provincial Statistician Jessamyne Anne Alcazaren, it is “garbage in, garbage out.” 

At the weekly Kapihan sa PIA tackling the Census on Philippine Business and Industries which ran from June until July 31, the PSA has aired concerns over the delayed responses as well as advanced the assurance that the data shared by the industries to PSA is veiled in confidentiality and would be treated with utmost care. 

Industries and businesses have been adamant in giving out accurate and honest information about their business operations to PSA field enumerators for possible fear of future data use by the government. 

Most of those who fear of sharing their data think these would be used to tax them in the future of to leverage for any government resource generation campaigns. 

On this, PSA 7 chief statistical analyst Leopoldo Alfanta Jr., assured that the data would be collated to form the information which can be used by the government in evidence-based decision making and now evidence-based policy making. 

The government has only enough resources and this may not be for every, that allocation of these should be based on right data to make sure help goes to where it is needed, PSA explained. 

“If the respondents give out wrong data, it would affect the results and the government would be using faulty data, which would be useless,” Alcazaren stated. 

The PSA however has prepared its system of counter checking every data provided over other data available from the industry profiles. 

If they under declare their employees, we can check this in the company’s remittances to their employees Social Security contributions, capitalizations and other information, if only to make sure that we are getting the accurate data, adds Alcazaren. 

In Bohol, the PSA has about 700 respondents, all big businesses and industries, those which have over 20 employees at least, explains Joy Sarmiento, of PSA Bohol. 

As the survey started in June, by the end of the month, the PSA has received a very low turn-out or responses, and some even have to be returned as the data provided were incomplete, Alcazaren bared, highlighting the need for accurate responses. 

On the turn-out, Bohol PSA has called for a respondents’ forum a couple of weeks ago, to gather information as to what has caused the delay in transmitting back the data. 

As to the timelines, with less than a month more, PSA however believes there is still sufficient time Bohol to catch up the backlog. 

On their sleeves are a troop of field interviewers closely manned by supervisors and a rather good technology: the PSA is now adopting computerized data gathering through tables hand carried by their enumerators. 

The facility also allows the PSA to track the progresses and the physical location of their enumerators; this allows PSA authorities to see their accomplishments in real time. 

With the deadline set on the last day of July, Alcazaren said there will be no more extensions for this enumeration, as an extension can also affect the release of the data, which can ruin all other PSA activities. 

As long as the respondents provide the right, timely and accurate data, we just might be able to hit our targets, the PSA said. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol) 

GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT. PSA Bohol Statistician Jessamyne Anne Alcazaren reminds Boholano respondents of the CPBI 2019 to give accurate, timely information honestly as this would form the basis for the government’s evidence-based decision making and ultimately evidence-based policy making. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)