January-March 2016

Volume 1

Issue 1

January-March 2016

PSA launches
office in Negros
Island Region
PSA formally introduced its Regional
Statistical Services Office (RSSO) in
Negros Island Region (NIR) with a
launching ceremony at the Hotel
Essencia in Dumaguete City, Negros
Oriental on 22 February 2016. The
appointed regional director for the new
RSSO is Engr. Ariel E. Florendo.

Volume 1

Issue 1

PSA-NPC completes placement process;

Appointments now for CSC action

he Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), through the National Placement Committee

(NPC), has completed the placement process.

As of March 2016, a total of 1,944 positions were filled in implementing the Department
of Budget and Management approved Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern of
PSA pursuant to Republic Act No. 10625.
The breakdown in terms of level of position is as follows:
Third Level 32 [National Statistician (NS), Deputy National Statisticians, Assistant
National Statisticians, Office of the NS Directors and Field Statistical
Office Regional Directors]
Second Level 1,420 [Salary Grade (SG) 24 to SG 10]
First Level
492 (SG 9 and below)
Those holding third level positions are presidential appointees. Those holding first and
second level positions were reappointed by the NS, and their individual appointments
were already submitted to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) at the latest 15 March 2016
for approval. Meanwhile, the NPC is still waiting for the CSC action on these appointments.

NS Lisa Grace S. Bersales delivers her speech during

the launching ceremony of PSA Negros Island
Region.

PSA is one of the 16 government

agencies that set up their regional
offices in Dumaguete City pursuant to
Executive Order 183 creating the
Negros Island Region signed by
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III on
29 May 2015. NIR is now the 18th
region in the country composed of two
provinces: Negros Occidental, once a
part of Region 6 (Western Visayas) and
Negros Oriental, from Region 7 (Central
Visayas).
A two-day PSA Directorate Conference
followed the event.

NS Bersales presents estimates on natl accounts,

official poverty stats
National Statistician (NS) Lisa
Grace S. Bersales presented the
2015 Fourth Quarter Performance
of the Philippine Economy in a
press conference held on
28 January 2016. She reported on NEDA Sec. Arsenio M. Balisacan (third from left) is beside NS Lisa
growth rates of gross domestic Grace S. Bersales with DNS Romeo S. Recide (left) and NEDA Deputy
product, gross national income, Dir. Gen. Emmanuel F. Esguerra (right) during the presscon of the
Fourth Quarter 2015 Report on the Philippine Economy.
expenditure items, and the
contribution of the major industries (agriculture, industry, and services) to the
economy.
Similarly, in a press conference conducted on 18 March 2016, NS Bersales presented
the 2015 First Semester Official Poverty Statistics which released the estimates on
poverty incidence, food and poverty thresholds, and other poverty-related statistics.
Both activities were held at Destiny Room, ETON Cyberpod Centris, Quezon City.

January-March 2016

Philippines CRVS Decade 2015-2024 official jingle

he jingle entitled Masasagot garnered the highest score of 89.5% and was
the unanimous choice of the board of judges during the National Finals of the
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Decade 2015-2024 Jingle Writing
Contest held on 23 February 2016 at Centris 3. The winning entry will be used by the PSA
in all its CRVS advocacy and related activities.
Jay-Are B. Luntayao, a contractual employee of Civil Registration Service in Misamis
Oriental, received a plaque of recognition and a cash prize of twenty thousand pesos
(PhP20,000) as national winner.
The Jingle Writing Contest was envisioned to create awareness about the CRVS Decade
2015-2024 and to highlight the importance of civil registration and vital statistics to each
and every Filipino. Thus, jingle entries must revolve around the theme Get Every Pinoy
and Pinay in the Picture.

Volume 1

Issue 1

PSA, ASEAN hold forum

on cascading outcomes
of ACSS Meetings
The PSA, in partnership with the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) through the European Union ASEAN Capacity Building Project for
Monitoring Integration Progress and
Statistics (EU-ASEAN COMPASS), held
Forum on Cascading the Outcomes of
Meetings of the ASEAN Community
Statistical System (ACSS) Committee
and other ASEAN Bodies at the Crowne
Plaza Manila Galleria on 22 February 2016.

2016 Civil Registration Month Celebration

Theme: Makiisa... Makisali sa Dekadang CRVS
To celebrate the 2016 Civil Registration Month, the PSA initiated various activities to
include the following.

A Blood Donation Program was held at the

Ground Flr. of CVEA Bldg., East Ave. in
coordination with the Philippine Childrens
Medical Center Pedriatric Center.

Two sessions of Lecture Series on Civil

Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) were
held to provide updates to PSA personnel
on civil registration laws, policies and
business processes as well as to disseminate
information generated from vital statistics.
Representatives from the different PSA
offices attended the lectures.

A CRVS Mobile Caravan was held at the Q

Student Center, Kapt. Moy Elementary
School in Marikina City. Resource persons
from the CRS talked on civil registration
matters and vital statistics. Requests for
copy issuance of birth, marriage and death
documents including CENOMARs were
likewise served.

Launching of the Civil Registration and

Vital Statistics Handbook for Health Workers
culminated the month-long celebration.

DNS Josie B. Perez (center) is with (from left) Ms. Lina

V. Castro and Dr. Romulo A. Virola, consultant. Also
present are Mr. Romesh Paul, team leader of the
project and Mr. Puguh Irawan, senior official of
ASEANstats who served as presenters .

The forum envisioned to provide

information about the ACSS and EUASEAN COMPASS; its legal basis,
structure and composition, functions,
activities and decisions; and its
relationship with the Philippine
Statistical System (PSS). It also aimed
to communicate the objectives of and
guidelines on cascading the outcomes
of meetings of the ACSS Committee
and other ASEAN bodies; and to
exchange ideas and solicit feedback
and comments on the guidelines and
ASEAN statistics in general.
Fifty-six participants from the ASEAN
Community, PSA Board member
agencies, Senate/House Committee on
foreign affairs/relations, academe,
media, and NGOs attended the forum.

January-March 2016

Volume 1

Middle managers
attend SLDP
Middle managers of the PSA attended the
Supervisory and Leadership Development
Program (SLDP) at the PSA Conference
Room, Centris Three, Quezon City. Two
batches of training were conducted
on 25-29 January 2016 and
15-19 February 2016.
The five-day in-house training program
aimed to enhance the knowledge, skills,
attitude and ethical behavior of newlyplaced staff as they transition to being
supervisors; to serve as a refresher course
to those who have been doing supervisory
functions; and to serve as an avenue to
build and develop relationships among PSA
supervisors for improved service delivery.

Pagsasanay sa pagsulat
ng korespondensiya
opisyal, isinagawa
Sa pakikiugnayan sa Komisyon ng
Wikang Filipino (KWF), isinagawa ng
Pangasiwaan ng Pilipinas sa Estadistika
(Philippine Statistics Authority o PSA) ang
pagsasanay
sa
pagsulat
ng
Korespondensiya Opisyal gamit ang
wikang Filipino noong ika-1 ng Marso 2016
sa PSA Conference Room. Ito ay
dinaluhan ng 43 kawani mula sa ibatibang Serbisyo sa PSA.
Pinangunahan ito ng mga tagapagsalita
mula sa KWF na sina Ginang Lourdes Z.
Hinampas, Naatasang Puno (Officer-inCharge o OIC) sa Sangay ng Literatura at
Araling Kultural, at Dr. Benjamin M.
Mendillo, Jr., Puno sa Sangay ng Salin.
Itinuro nila ang mga paraan ng paggawa
sa wasto at ibat ibang porma ng
korespondensiya, ang mga wasto at hindi
wastong gawain sa pagsusulat, ang mga
batayan sa pagsasalin ng mga salitang
Ingles sa Filipino at ang kasaysayan ng
kasalukuyang ortograpiya ng bansa.

Issue 1

AgStat rolls on nationwide

he Economic Sector Statistics and Macroeconomic Accounts Services of the
Sectoral Statistics Office spearheaded the conduct of the Orientation/RefresherTraining on Agricultural Statistics (AgStat) Data Systems. A total of 79 Regional
Statistical Services Office and 252 Provincial Statistical Office officers and staff
participated in this undertaking conducted from 29 February 2016 to
18 March 2016 in six clusters nationwide. The last leg of the orientation, which is for
the National Capital Region, will be held on 4-6 April 2016.

The various AgStat data systems discussed during the training were for the crops,
livestock and poultry, fisheries and farm prices and Damage Assessment and Reporting
System. Capping the training were the presentation of the Performance of Philippine
Agriculture and the discussion of the AgStat dissemination platforms in the PSA website.
Relevant topics for each data system included concepts and definitions, survey
methodology, survey operations, data processing, data review and validation of
outputs, and dissemination.

PSA reinvents its virtual face through website

With the consolidation of the four major statistical agencies, the PSA sought the need to
institutionalize a corporate online identity that will represent the virtual face of the agency
to the world. To meet this need, a pool of senior staff from various PSA offices attended
a two-day workshop on the website content structure in August 2015. The team initiated
the construction of landing pages in December 2015 before the websites soft presentation
in March 2016. Barely three months after its conceptualization, the Information
Technology and Dissemination Service presented the proposed PSA website to NS Lisa
Grace S. Bersales and the rest of the PSA officials. On 18 March 2016, the website was
shown to the Assistant National Statisticians and Division heads of the PSA prior to the
Execom.
During presentation, Dr. Bersales, fresh from her recent international engagement, shared
that our country ranked 23rd out of 125 countries in the 2015 result of the Open Data
Inventory Scorecard. She stated, however, that we must not be contented with what we
attained but instead, we must keep on moving and aspire more. She regarded that our
website is our virtual face to the world and it is an important key in achieving a solid,
responsive, and a world-class statistical data provider. On her final note, Dr. Bersales
thanked everyone who has put effort in making the job done.
While continuous development is being undertaken, the reinvented PSA website is now
running from its usual url home address, https://www.psa.gov.ph/.

January-March 2016

Volume 1

Issue 1

PSA NEWSLETTER
EDITORIAL BOARD
Lisa Grace S. Bersales, Ph.D.
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
Estela T
T.. De Guzman
Deputy National Statistician
Civil Registration and Central Support Office
Josie B. P
Perez
erez
Deputy National Statistician
Censuses and Technical Coordination Office
Romeo S. Recide
Deputy National Statistician
Sectoral Statistics Office
EDITORIAL TEAM
Gene V
V.. Lorica
OIC-Assistant National Statistician, ITDS
Editor-in-Chief
Simonette A. Nisperos
Managing Editor

E D I T O R I A L
Yes, were back!
We are back! "We" refers to the official newsletters of the four major statistical agencies
that went out of circulation due to the formation of the PSA, namely: NSO Reporter, BAS
MiscellaNews, BLES Newsletter and NSCB e-Newsletter. Merged into one publication,
the PSA Newsletter is now our official vehicle to inform employees of what is happening
in the organization. Since we are restoring these reporting tools to a new single newsletter,
the use of a positive first word in this piece is intentional so as not to get the ire of our
grandparents whose superstitions require us to start something new with a positive note
and to leave all negatives behind.
However, this editorial is not about our forebears superstitious belief but more about
the good things that happened and currently taking place in our home the PSA. The
jitters brought about by so many senior officials and rank-and-file employees retiring;
possible discontent among employees due to unacceptable staffing; and entry of new
and inexperienced managers and supervisors, like the Y2k bug hype in the 20th century,
have passed without much impact to the Agency.
The angst turned out to be an unfounded apprehensions because newly appointed
managers have shown that they are as good, if not much better, than their predecessors
and after the placement process, almost all employees are satisfied due to our beloved
NS Lisas motto: "No one shall be left behind". Moreover, the appointed supervisors
showed their readiness to take on bigger responsibilities and willingness to absorb anything
that will enhance their skills. All these put together resulted to highly motivated and
professional PSA employees who are eager to work together as one in attaining the
agencys vision and achieving its mission.
YES, we the PSA is back!

Noel S. Nepomuceno
Myrna R. F
etalver
o
Fetalver
etalvero
Associate Editors
Maria Clarinda E. De Guzman
Roel V
ictor T
Victor
T.. Cruz
Editorial Assistants
PS
A REPOR
TERS
PSA
REPORTERS
Daisy S. A
dlawan (FAS)
Adlawan
Ferdinand R. A
quino (ITDS)
Aquino
Andrea Jane A. Bibares (SSSS)
Sardis M. Catalan (SS)
Raul M. Ludovice (NCS)
Cristy A. Oliveros (CRS)
Haidee T
T.. Orellana (MAS)
Glen G. P
olo (ESSS)
Polo
EDITORIAL ST
AFF
STAFF
Christopher D. Manuel
Contributor
Linda G. Mole
izmanos
V.. V
Vizmanos
Andrea V
News Researchers
Quirino G. Santos Jr
Jr..
Imee O
O.. Saldua
Graphic Artists
Raymond V
V.. Madamba
Gerry I. Labatorio
Photographers
The PSA Newsletter
is the official quarterly newsletter
of the Philippine Statistics Authority
with address along
PSA-CVEA Bldg. East Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

For your contributions, queries,

comments, and suggestions,
get in touch with us at:
Tel: (632)462-66-00 loc 833
Telefax: (632)462-66-00 loc 834
.ph
email: enewsletter@psa.gov
enewsletter@psa.gov.ph
.psa.gov
.ph
Visit our official website: www
www.psa.gov
.psa.gov.ph

January-March 2016

Volume 1

Issue 1

Vision

Solid, responsive, world-class authority on quality statistics and civil

registration.

Mission

Deliver relevant, reliable statistics and civil registration services for equitable
development towards improved quality of life for all.

Core Values STteadfast

eam spirit

Unwavering faith rain or shine

Together as one
Open to changes
No hidden agenda
Strong inside out
Responsible management of resources
Reflects spirituality
Impartial
Professionalism
Delighting customers

Corporate
Personality

ethical, expert, competent, dependable,

committed to excellence
customer focused, active listener, proactive,
communicator
modern, technologically adept, systems view,
thinking out of the box, radical
long-term view, working smart, game changer,
futurity of present decisions
values people, promotes welfare, promotes
professional development, sound HR policy

Adaptability
Transparency
Integrity
Stewardship
Trust in Almighty God
Independence
Competence
Service-oriented

The PSA Logo

The Philippine Statistics Authoritys (PSA)
logo signifies its commitment to provide
timely and quality statistics necessary for
decision making in all aspects of Filipino life.
It reflects the PSAs vision of solid, responsive,
and world-class authority on quality statistics
and civil registration; and its mission to
deliver relevant, reliable statistics and civil
registration services for equitable
development towards improved quality of
life for all.
There are two main elements in the logo, to
wit:

three curved arrows - symbolize the

three main pillars of the PSA as an
organization: solid, responsive, and
world-class. These arrows are colored
red, yellow, and blue, representing the
colors of the Philippine flag, and
signifying the role of the PSA as the
national statistical agency. The arrows
are joined together on their sides to
represent the PSA being solid, and are
pointing upward to symbolize the PSAs
dynamism in accomplishing its critical
role of achieving the collective dream
of sustained economic and social
progress, reflecting the responsiveness
of the PSA.
sphere and grid (globe) - represent the
PSAs adherence to the United Nations
Fundamental Principles of Official
Statistics and commitment to
international conventions and
standards. It also represents the PSAs
participation in the global statistical
community, mirroring its vision of
being world-class.

Professional
Responsive
Innovative
Strategic thinker
Motivated

over
view
overview
2013

CARMELITA N. ERICTA
Interim National Statistician
and Civil Registrar General
Philippine Statistics Authority

LISA GRACE S. BERSALES, Ph.D.

National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
Philippine Statistics Authority

2014

The PSA started to carry out the reorganization of

the PSS in such a manner that the personnel of the
agencies absorbed by the PSA continued to perform
their respective 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.

On 12 September 2013, President Benigno

Aquino III signed Republic Act No. 10625,
otherwise known as the Philippine
Statistical Act of 2013, mandating the
establishment of the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) and the reorganization of
the Philippine Statistical System (PSS),
paving the way for the merging of four
major statistical agencies (Bureau of
Agricultural Statistics, Bureau of Labor and
Employment Statistics, National
Statistical Coordination Board, and
National Statistics Office) engaged in
primary data collection and compilation
of secondary data.

2015
Reorganization
and placement of
personnel were
established.

PSAs V ision,
Mission, Core
Values,
and
Corporate
Personality
were presented
together with
the agencys
official logo.

January-March 2016

Volume 1

Issue 1

Whos in the PSA Central Office

who
ROMEO S. RECIDE
Deputy National Statistician
Sectoral Statistics Office

DR. LISA GRACE S. BERSALES

National Statistician
and Civil Registrar-General
Dr. Lisa Grace S. Bersales brings to the
position more than 30 years of
experience as an academic,
researcher, and staunch statistics
development partner of the public
and private sectors. She has solid
experience on restructuring the
countrys national statistical system redefining roles in response to new
challenges, development of statistical
standards, methodologies, and
sectoral statistics.
She was the Vice President for
Planning and Finance of the University
of the Philippines (UP) System and
served as Dean and Director for
Graduate Studies at the UP School of
Statistics.
NS Bersales currently serves as Cochair of the Interagency Expert Group
on Sustainable Development Goal
Indicators and Vice-Chair of the
Regional Steering Group for Civil
Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia
and the Pacific.
Recently, she was elected as the
chairperson of the Executive
Committee of the Partnership in
Statistics for Development in the 21st
Century (PARIS21) Board.

In his capacity as the Deputy National Statistician for the Sectoral

Statistics Office (SSO), DNS Romeo "Meong" Recide manages the
generation, compilation and analysis and dissemination of social, economic and
macroeconomic statistics. Prior to his designation as DNS, he served as Director of the
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics and as Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning of the
Department of Agriculture (DA). In this position, his major commitments included trade
negotiations in the World Trade Organization and serving as Senior Official Meeting Leader
of the Philippines in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ministers of Agriculture
and Forestry Meetings. DNS Recide is involved in regional and international organizations
and bodies dealing with improvements of statistics on agriculture, food security, human
rights, disasters and labor.
JOSIE B. PEREZ
Deputy National Statistician
Censuses and Technical Coordination Office
DNS Josie Jo B. Perez supervises the statistical and technical activities
of the Censuses and Technical Coordination Office (CTCO) of the PSA
which include the preparation, conduct, process and dissemination of the different
censuses; development and improvement of the statistical standards and classification
systems; and provision of information technology systems and programming, IT operation
supports, communication and information services of PSA generated data, and
cartographic services. She used to be the Director of Household Statistics Department
of the former National Statistics Office (NSO). She also provided technical assistance on
agricultural and fisheries statistics to selected Asian and Pacific countries through the
Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries, and Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations.
ESTELA T. DE GUZMAN
Deputy National Statistician
Civil Registration and Central Support Office
DNS Estela Tormon de Guzman is a Chemist-turned-Statistician.
A BS Chemistry graduate of the Western Institute of Technology, Iloilo
City, she finished her Masters Degree of Statistics from the UP Statistical Center. She
ranked first in the Program of Development Economics at the UP School of Economics
and topped a MatB exam of the Career Service Executive Board. She is a Rank IV CESO
and a CSEE eligible. DNS de Guzman was the Interim Assistant National Statistician for
Economic Sector Statistics Service of the PSA. She served at the defunct NSO as the
Director of the Industry and Trade Statistics Department, Regional Director of Region III
and Chief of the Population and Housing Branch. She also chaired various Inter-Agency
Committees and Technical Working Groups and is currently the focal person for the
Bloomberg Project on Data for Health Initiative.

January-March 2016

Volume 1

Issue 1

Whos in the PSA Central Office

who

DULCE A. REGALA
Assistant National Statistician for Economic Sector Statistics Service, SSO
ANS Dulce A. Regalas technical expertise are in the areas of planning, conduct and analysis of establishment-based censuses
and surveys related to the production of economic statistics particularly in the sectors of agriculture, industry, trade, services,
and energy. She has extensive experience in the production of data from administrative-based documents, the by-products
of 42 years of dedicated service in governments regulatory functions.
VIVIAN R. ILARINA
Assistant National Statistician for Macroeconomic Accounts Service, SSO
Since 1983, ANS Vivian R. Ilarina has been involved in the development and implementation of the Philippine System of
National Accounts (PSNA) which includes data evaluation, compilation and estimation, deliberation and analysis. She was
instrumental in the overall revision and rebasing of two PSNA: the rebasing of the PSNA to 1985 and 2000 base years as well
as the milestones for the Input-Output Accounts, the 1994, 2000 and 2006 benchmark.
WILMA A. GUILLEN
Assistant National Statistician for Social Sector Statistics Service, SSO
ANS Wilma A. Guillen has 32 years of dedicated public service at the former DA-Bureau of Agricultural Economics/Statistics
occupying various assignments in the central and field offices. During her stint as agricultural center chief of the Regional
Operations Center (ROC) 1, she steered the office to become a consistent awardee for 16 years: 14 times as among the Top
Five Model ROC and twice as the Outstanding Model ROC.

MINERVA ELOISA P. ESQUIVIAS

Assistant National Statistician for National Censuses Service, CTCO
ANS Minerva Eloisa Minette Pea Esquivias has 32 years of solid experience in the field of censuses on population, housing,
agri-fisheries, business, industries and various household-based surveys. She served as the Philippine delegate to the UN
Expert Group Meetings on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses and was
involved in the Revision of the Handbook on Management of Population and Housing Censuses.
CANDIDO J. ASTROLOGO, JR.
Assistant National Statistician for Standards Service, CTCO
An expert for assessment, development and maintenance of a national ICT statistics database system for the Philippines in
2010, ANS Candido J. Astrologo also served as consultant of UN on Strengthening National Statistical Capacity in ASEAN
Region in 2013. Some of his specializations include statistical planning, management and coordination, Subnational Statistical
Systems, National and Regional Economic Accounts, and MDG Indicators.
GENE V. LORICA
OIC-Assistant National Statistician for Information Technology and Dissemination Service, CTCO
A system developer for more than 25 years, ANS Gene V. Lorica pioneered developing innovative systems for survey/census
data processing, data collection, and data dissemination. He is a recognized specialist in statistical data processing in the
international statistical community having worked as consultant in many countries in the Asia-Pacific Region.
EDITHA R. ORCILLA
Assistant National Statistician for Civil Registration Service, CRCSO
Starting as a student trainee in 1983, ANS Editha Edith R. Orcilla, has risen through the ranks. She holds three masters
degrees in Applied Statistics (PUP), Public Administration (PCHS) and Public Management (DAP). Her Re-entry Project was
awarded the Most Innovative Re-Entry Project by DAP.
ATTY. MARIBETH C. PILIMPINAS
Assistant National Statistician for Finance and Administrative Service, CRCSO
Atty. Maribeth "Beth" E. Cacho-Pilimpinas obtained her Master in Development Management-Public Management
Development Program from the Development Academy of the Philippines in 2014 wherein she was awarded as the Best ReEntry Project. She recently graduated from Integrated Salamin-Diwa ng Paglilingkod and Integrated Gabay ng Paglilingkod (IGabay), Training Courses under the Career Executive Service Boards (CESB) Executive Leadership Program (ELP).

January-March 2016

Volume 1

Issue 1

Whos in the PSA

who

REYNOR R. IMPERIAL
Central Office
Director III, Planning and Management Service, ONS
Dir. Reynor R. Imperial is a seasoned humanitarian and organizational
development practitioner in various local and international organizations. His
technical expertise includes providing advice and assistance in the areas of
workforce planning, performance management and capacity building.

for the 2nd Quarter

April
DR. DIVINA GRACIA L. DEL PRADO
Director III, Statistical Methodology Unit, ONS
Dir. Divina Gracia "Grace" del Prado earned her doctorate degree in Statistics
from the UP School of Statistics and masters degree of the same course, cum
fructo, from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. She is also a Special
Lecturer at PUP-Graduate School, serving as thesis adviser/panelist since 2000.
BENJAMIN ARSENIO Y. NAVARRO
Director III, International Cooperation Unit, ONS
Dir. Benjamin Arsenio "Benjie" Y. Navarro earned his Master in National Security
Administration from National Defense College of the Philippines. He is both a Career
Executive Service Eligible, and Career Service Executive Eligible where he ranked second
nationwide. He trained in the fields of economics, statistics, IT, and public affairs.

11-15

Technical Review of World

Bank Mission on Phil-WAVES
Project
18-29 IMF Mission on Price Statistics
25-29 1st Quarter National Data
Review
13
Start of distribution of the
2015 ASPBI/SICT survey forms
to sample establishments

May
11
13

ATTY. LOURDINES C. DELA CRUZ

Director III, Legal Service, ONS
Dir. Lourdines "Lourd" C. Dela Cruz started working for the NSO in 2002. While
working, he obtained his law degree in 2010 from the Northwestern University
in Laoag City and passed the bar the following year. He was also able to earn
a masters degree in Public Administration, With Highest Distinction, in 2009.

PSEMCO, USE hold general assemblies

The Philippine Statistics Employees Multi-purpose Cooperative (PSEMCO) held its general
assembly at the PSA Complex on 19 March 2016. Highlights of the event include the
presentation of Managers Report and that of the various committees, amendments in
the by-laws, and the proposed 2016 budget.
Earlier, the Union of Statistics Employees (USE) held its first general assembly at the
PSA Complex on 4 March 2016. A total of 425 members in the Central Office and
representatives from Chapters in the Field Statistical Offices participated in this
undertaking. Discussed were the Proposed Constitution and By-Laws Ammendments,
Financial Report, Programs and Services, Budget Allocation and presentation of salient
features of 2015-2018 PSA-USE Collective Negotiation Agreement.

19

Multi-Sectoral Consultation on
Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs)
Release of the Performance of
Philippine Agriculture Report
Press Conference and Release
of 1st Quarter 2016 National
Accounts of the Philippines

June
Country Workshop on Access
to New Data Sources for
Official Statistics: Business
Models for Big Data

National Womens Month

The PSA, thru its Gender and Development
(GAD) Focal Committee, heeded the call
of the Philippine Commission on Women
to become one of its partners in the
celebration of the 2016 National Womens
Month in March, which adopted the theme,
Kapakanan ni Juana, Isama sa Agenda!

PROJECT PAGLAUM: Rekindling Hope, Rebuilding Lives

competency building workshop for

PSA staff on providing mental health
and psychosocial support in disaster
situations dubbed as Project Paglaum was held
on 30-31 March 2016 at the PSA Conference
Room. The workshop was led by Dr. Violeta
Bolet V. Bautista and the training team of
the Care and Wholeness Center. The PSA
employees watched enactments, participated in exercises and practiced basic skills in Mental
Health and Psychosocial Support in some role playing sessions.

Several activities were lined up to

strengthen GAD advocacy in recognizing
and admitting that women and men need
to come together as partners in all levels
of decision-making.