1. Regional Consultations/ FGD on the Philippine Statistical System (PSS) for Field Units of Major Statistical Agencies

2. Purpose To collect in-depth information on 7 key issues about the Philippine Statistical system (PSS) –Organizational structures and linkages –Mandate and functions vs. outputs and services –Budgetary, human, and other resources –Legal basis of operations and the PSS –Management of information system and archiving –Statistical outputs and user needs –Best practices

3. Setting Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours Feedback Confidentiality of views expressed Ground Rules Key issues (10-12 min) Brief responses to questions posed per key issue Interaction and discussion

4. Organizational structure and linkages What are your issues of concern about the PSS organizational structure? – Should it be centralized or decentralized? – How do you assess the PSS operational efficiency? – What can you say about PSS Linkages: Regional/Provincial-Central Office Linkage; Strategic Partnerships (of PSS with stakeholders) What suggestions can you provide to strengthen statistical functions and ensure operational sustainability in the PSS, especially in field operations? What opportunities do you see for the PSS in terms of its expansion or diversification to enhance the relevance of statistical activities?

5. Mandate and functions vs. outputs and services What are your views about the mandates of the PSS, vis a vis the major statistical outputs and services?, i.e., is there consistency between output and mandate? How would you assess the PSS in terms of: – timeliness of outputs – accuracy (and integrity) of data – acceptability of data to data users – soundness and transparency of methodologies – comprehensiveness of outputs and services – adaptability (responsiveness to emerging needs, especially needs for small area statistics)

6. Budgetary, Human, and Other Resources What are your views about adequacy of budgetary, human, and other resources of the PSS? What PSS activities can be dropped or de-emphasized, and what activities can be highlighted given the resource constraints? What can you recommend to improve on – Resource levels required to carry out statistical functions adequately – PSS budgetary and other resources – Technical capacity of human resources

7. Legal framework of statistical activities The Philippines currently has no Statistics Act. What would you like to see in such a legal framework? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of an autonomous Statistics Commission if the Philippines were to have one?

8. Management of information system and data archiving What are your views about the processes by which statistical outputs of the PSS are disseminated, managed and archived? – Tools used (software, hardware, processes) in PSS to manage the information system – Mechanisms to ensure data integrity during storage (archiving) and retrieval – Personnel handling information/archiving systems

9. Statistical outputs vs. User needs How effective has the PSS been in meeting data user needs − regional/provincial offices of National Government Agencies (NGAs) − Local government units (LGUs) − Academic/research institutes How do data users provide feedback to PSS about their needs and their satisfaction/dissatisfaction with PSS services? What can you recommend to improve service delivery of PSS?

10. Best practices Can you assess PSS outputs with those of other countries of similar size and at a similar level of development? And if so, how does PSS rate? Rate the PSS statistical activities relative to the rest of the world (1—lowest; 10 highest) Which among the following dimensions could be adopted from other countries to improve the PSS? (Cite country or countries whenever possible ) – Organizational structure – Outputs and services – Human resource practices, planning, and development – Information systems and their management – Legal framework

11. End MARAMING SALAMAT PO!