Kalibo, Aklan – September 25, 2024 - The Philippine Statistics Authority Aklan conducted an orientation to members of Aklan Business Permit and Licensing Officers regarding the use of business permits and licenses application information in producing economic statistics last September 18, at the Conference Room of Kalibo's Old Municipal Building.

The activity aims to convey the importance of data derived from the list of registered businesses maintained by BPLOs in the compilation of granulated economic statistics, which will be useful in development planning and policy formulation by the respective LGUs.

Mr. Peter S. Mangilog, Senior Statistical Specialist of PSA Aklan, led the discussion on how this information will be processed and integrated with the PSA’s List of Establishments to create a comprehensive Statistical Business Register.

The SBR is a registry of establishments used for statistical purposes, such as providing a sampling frame for conducting business and industry surveys to produce official statistics and extract economic data across different sectors, industries, and geographic areas that are comparable both locally and internationally.

According to Mr. Mangilog, the economic statistics are useful tools for planners and policy makers to make informed decisions, formulate evidence-based policies, and targeted interventions. However, these statistics are not usually available at the LGU level due to limited data and sample sizes, which cannot provide provincial and municipal estimates.

"In fact, there is a growing demand for disaggregated economic statistics nowadays not only from our local planners but also from researchers, businessmen, and other stakeholders, which has motivated the PSA to collaborate with LGUs to maximize the use of data from their own backyard,” Mr. Mangilog said.

Mr. Mangilog also emphasized that business applications filed at the BPLO by establishment owners are rich source of information that can address these data gaps, but they must be processed and validated to conform to statistical standards.

“By processing this information, the LGU can better appreciate the value of these administrative data for their economic development, while also enhancing the PSA’s sampling frame for industry surveys to produce more comprehensive, accurate, and timely statistics,” Mr. Mangilog added.

Meanwhile, Ms. Mernie Loduvice, President of the BPLO Association in Aklan, expressed her gratitude for sharing this relevant information, which further enhances their knowledge and deepens their appreciation of the relevance of the work they are performing. 

This undertaken is part of PSA-LGU Data Sharing Business Registry Project which is currently being undertaken by PSA in collaboration with the various municipal government in Aklan.

ANTONET B. CATUBUAN

Chief Statistical Specialist