The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office successfully concluded the month-long celebration of the 34th National Statistics Month (NSM) in the province with Kaathagan sa Estadistika, Data Expo, and Data Forum activities, including the website’s launch of the Provincial Economic Development Office (PEDO).
“The said activities, which were participated in by the Provincial Statistics Committee (PSC) member agencies, were held at the Caza Guest House, San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras, on October 26, 2023, to showcase their latest data and boost government employees’ awareness about the recent statistics in the province”, Provincial Statistics Officer (PSO) Nelida B. Losare said.
For the Kaathagan sa Estadistika, the overview, methodologies, key elements, applications, and latest results were tackled on the topics of the Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (CAF), Consumer Price Index (CPI), and Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).
The CAF and CBMS were presented through an audio-visual presentation (AVP), while the CPI was discussed by PSA Guimaras Information Officer I, Orlie E. Espinosa-Tabia.
For the Data Expo, covered topics were CBMS Data of San Lorenzo, delivered by Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC), Catherine Ann Gaurana; Community-Based Organization in the Province of Guimaras by Provincial Economic Development Officer, Francis E. Gentoral; Bureau of Fire Protection-Guimaras Data by CINSP Lorna D. Parcellano; Employment Statistics by Department of Labor and Employment-Guimaras, Senior Labor and Employment Officer, Kenneth Jun Eusebio; and JCRAN ICM KIDS by Guimaras Environment and Natural Resources Office, Project Development Officer I, Queenilyn G. Gallopa.
The discussion on the Data Dissemination Forum focused on the latest health statistics by the Provincial Health Office, Statistician I, Danielle Imanuelle T. Escaran; gender statistics by PSA Guimaras PSO Losare; and fisheries statistics by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) OIC Provincial Fisheries Officer, Mateo C. Doyola; environmental statistics by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Planning Officer III, Rita A. Colacion; and vital events by the Buenavista Local Civil Registry Office, Local Civil Registration Officer II, Sherel Labaro.
The launching of the PEDO website which was led by PED Officer Gentoral also brought a meaningful culminating program to the 34th NSM celebration in Guimaras.
Gentoral expounded that the Integrated Economic Information System and Website Development is the contribution of PEDO to the 3-year development agenda of Guimaras Province under the Focused Tourism, Trade, Investment, and Employment thrust, in which the website will serve as a linkage to investors, private sectors, MSMEs, COSs, Tourism related enterprises, and stakeholders.
“Thus, to ensure the competitiveness of Guimaras as an investment and tourism destination, there are programs, projects, and partnerships aligned for partners and stakeholders”, Gentoral said.
Gentoral also elucidated that data holds potential benefits to local government units (LGUs) in which it can improve economic and social performance and good governance. Thus, the website development project will provide benefits such as developing innovative services, creating new business models, improving transparency and accountability, and enhancing stakeholder participation. In addition, it will improve the efficiency of public services and enhance LGU’s competitiveness.
“This project will create an economic portal for PEDO to showcase the services of the sections under the office and will add another sub-portal for market linkage for MSMEs. Overall, it is a functional and interactive website,” Gentoral said.
“Currently, the economic database of the office is fragmented and stored in multiple locations which affects accessing and storage capabilities. Without data integration, it is difficult to obtain data in another system,” he added.
He also highlighted that the said project will make data accessible to multiple stakeholders, better collaboration and deployment, save time, boost efficiency and ensure the best experience for users and visitors.
The new website will cover a database on revenue and investment, major commodities, visitor arrival, labor market information, tourism information system, and Guimaras Agri-Eco Biz and will link to other social media platforms of PEDO.
PSO Losare also extended her warm congratulatory remarks to PEDO for their successful project implementation and she also emphasized the importance of a website for having real-time integrated data.
“This is also important in having accessible information on tourism, investment, cooperatives, and employment. Indeed this 34th month-long celebration ended with an impressive project, not to mention, the closing program would not have been completed without the awarding ceremony for the 34th NSM Kabataan FIRST infographics contest for PSC Members wherein the top 3 received a certificate of recognition and cash prizes of Php3,000, Php2,100, and Php1,500, while the non-winners were given a certificate of appreciation,” Losare said.
