Recognizing the necessity for standardized statistics at both national and local levels, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) issued Resolution No. 18 in 2021. This Resolution emphasizes the adoption of the Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC) and the Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) in various government processes, particularly in the Unified Business Permit Application System. By harmonizing these systems of classification, the aim is to enhance data comparability and facilitate more informed decision-making and efficient service delivery across the country.

In response to this directive, the PSA-Marinduque Provincial Statistical Office (PSO) has initiated a series of Training, Coordination, and Field Visits to Local Government Units (LGUs) to promote the adoption of PSIC. The first session took place on 03 May 2024, in the Municipality of Buenavista, attended by representatives from key offices including Business Permit and Licensing Office, Mayor’s Office, Municipal Engineer’s Office, Municipal Planning and Development Office, and Municipal Treasurer’s Office. The representatives and trainers from the PSA-Marinduque PSO were Statistical Specialist II (SS II) Maria Baby Jane M. Sualog, Information Systems Analyst I (ISA I) Sonny Jr. R. De la Cruz, and Statistical Analyst (SA) Kane Carol Matibag.

During the session, participants were provided with an overview of the Statistical Classification System, with a particular focus on PSIC. Guidelines for classifying PSIC were discussed, and reference files for PSIC and PSGC were distributed to aid understanding. Practical exercises on coding and generating statistical tables were conducted to reinforce learning. In addition, ISA Allaine Revilleza of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) -Marinduque was in attendance during the said sessions. She provided insights regarding the systems being developed and implemented by DICT, specifically the eLGU. Subsequent sessions with the same program and objectives were conducted for LGU Torrijos on 09 May 2024, and LGU Santa Cruz on 10 May 2024. Additionally, LGU Gasan held its session on 16 May 2024. 

The activities were related to the collection of the list of establishments to be used for the estimation of the Provincial Product Accounts (PPA), which will measure the economy of the province. The same set of data will be used for the PSA-LGU Data Sharing (PLDS) initiative, where the list of establishments from LGUs will be matched with the list of establishments collected through the Updating of List of Establishments (ULE) project of PSA. Furthermore, LGUs were encouraged to outline their process for integrating PSIC and PSGC into their Unified Business Permit Application System, facilitating an exchange of best practices and addressing any challenges faced.

These activities aim to build capacity among LGUs for the adoption of PSIC and PSGC,fostering a culture of data-sharing and collaboration to enhance statistical uniformity and comparability at local, national, and international levels. The PSA-Marinduque PSO is honored by the active and immediate participation of the LGUs, demonstrating their commitment to enhancing data standardization and efficiency in government processes. 

For inquiries and clarifications about the conduct of training, coordination, and field visit of Local Government Units on the adoption of the PSIC in Marinduque, please reach us via email at marinduque@psa.gov.ph. Alternatively, you can also reach us via our landline numbers: (042)332-0848 or (042)754-0024.

(SGD)GEMMA N. OPIS
Chief Statistical Specialist
PSA PSO Marinduque

GNO/SJRDLC