29 May 2024 – Pasay City. The Philippine Statistics Authority National Capital Region – Provincial Statistical Office V (PSA NCR – PSO V) successfully conducted a City-Level Training on the adoption of the Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC) and Philippine Standard Geographic Code (PSGC) in the City of Las Piñas last 24 May 2024 held at the training venue in the city. The resource persons and trainers during the training were the personnel of PSA NCR-PSO V headed by the Senior Statistical Specialist (SrSS), Mr. Joemar P. Jerez, as well as the team from the PSA – Statistical Classification Division led by SrSS Rassel Jhun S. Embile.

A total of twenty-five (25) attendees from the various offices in the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Las Piñas City actively participated during the training spearheaded by the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) Chief, Mr. Jesus Wilfredo D. Gaerlan together with the Supervising Administrative Officer of the Treasury Department, Mr. Freddie F. Herrera and the representatives from the City Engineering Office, Architech Ma. Rosario Jimenez and Engineer Romnick U. Cartusiano.

The training was intended to capacitate  the LGU employees pertaining on the adoption of PSIC and PSGC through the support of the PSA in order to uplift the statistical system in the city as well as to strengthen partnership and collaboration that plays pivotal role towards the generation of a more granular and comparable statistics at the national and city levels. As such, the topics being discussed during the training were the overview of the statistical systems, rules in classifying economic activities, introduction to PSIC and PSGC, overview  of the Philippine economy and Provincial Product Account (PPA)  as well as the concept of PSA-LGU data sharing  among others.

In addition, an interactive coding exercise and illustration on the use of flat reference file and Dynamic Search Facility of the PSA to identify the classification of an establishment and to generate statistical tables were introduced which was facilitated by SrSS Joemar P. Jerez. Afterwards, a comprehensive and collaborative discussion on the results of the assessment of LGU on the adoption of PSIC and PSGC was also included. Accordingly, to streamline the implementation of PSIC in the city level, PSA must tap the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the formulation of a guidelines or a memorandum mandating the LGUs to adopt the PSIC as meant necessary. Moreover, Mr. Herrera also added that the City of Las Piñas will require more time for the integration of data following the systems of PSIC since they are considering the local tax code and is thereby difficult to realign as for the moment.

As a response, SrSS Embile assure that the PSA will always extend technical assistance as deemed necessary and needed by the LGU for the adoption of PSIC. Relatively, he informed the attendees that the PSA may be the one to code the data with the corresponding PSIC as long as LGU is willing to provide the complete list of registered establishments, in which after coding, data will be returned to the LGU for their reference and basis in generating reliable statistical tables.  

The training ended with closing remarks coming from SrSS Embile where he emphasized appreciation for the constant support of the City Government of Las Piñas to the PSA which made the training on the adoption of PSIC in the city possible. With this, the PSA NCR-PSO V remains committed to further exemplify its efforts towards a sustainable and resilient statistical system through viable services that cut-across within a solid and equitable partnership on various stakeholders, especially the LGUs.

-Regional Statistics Services Office–NCR PSO V