BAGUIO CITY — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Cordillera will start updating the list of establishments in this upland region on April 16, as part of the first phase of the Census of Philippine Business and Industry (CPBI).
Villafe Alibuyog, regional director of PSA-Cordillera Administrative Region, said on Tuesday the agency is targeting to list 26,589 establishments in the Cordillera region. The statistics obtained is aimed at providing an updated and reliable sampling frame for various business surveys and censuses.
Alibuyog said for faster data collection, PSA-CAR’s updated list of establishments (ULE) would be the first to use tablets instead of the traditional pen-and-paper data collection scheme nationwide.
She said the computerized data collection would allow the data gatherer to immediately input the information obtained and transferred or collated with all other data collectors for analysis, rather than typing on the computer again after gathering information using the traditional pen and paper.
The PSA senior official explained each establishment would be interviewed by hired field statistical researchers using the ULE App, an android tablet-based application developed by PSA.
“This is part of the agency’s strategic thrust to use innovative procedures and technology to speed up data collection and data processing,” Alibuyog said.
Imelda Buyuccan, chief statistical specialist of PSA-Benguet and Baguio said among the data to be asked would be business name and address, registered name, business tax identification number (TIN), and the economic activity of the particular business enterprise.
The ULE operation will cover 18 sectors — agriculture, forestry and fishing; mining and quarrying; manufacturing; electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply; water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities; construction; wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food service activities; information and communication; financial and insurance activities; real estate activities; professional, scientific, and technical services; administrative and support activities; education; human health and social work activities; arts, entertainment and recreation; and other service activities.
Buyuccan said the data to be collected would also serve as guide for government planning, policy making, and monitoring; basis of marketing plans, opportunities, and prospects; and input to evaluation, market research, and comparative studies.
The PSA officials, who were guest in the regular weekly “Kapihan”, a project of the Cordillera Association Regional Executives (CARE), appealed to the public, to the local government units and barangay officials, especially the business sector, to cooperate and support the conduct of this survey.
They assured that all information gathered would be held strictly confidential and not used as evidence in court for purposes of taxation, regulation, or investigation as provided for in Republic Act 10625 or the “Philippine Statistical Act of 2013”.
PSA records show that in the 2016 ULE operation, the wholesale and retail services sector dominated the percentage of business establishments in Benguet and Baguio, with 48.10 percent and 44.72 percent, respectively. (Primo Agatep/PNA)
