Guimaras LGUs turn CBMS data into smart insights

Local government units in Guimaras have begun transforming their 2024 Community-Based Monitoring System data into local development indicators and statistical publications after a capacity-building initiative led by the Philippine Statistics Authority Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office.

The municipalities are generating data-driven outputs, including sectoral indicators and infographic-based publications, to support evidence-based planning, policymaking, and program implementation at the local level.

To strengthen local capacities in data analytics and management, PSA Guimaras conducted the Provincial Level Training on R Programming and Data Management Using the 2024 CBMS Data from May 4-8, 2026, at Zemkamps Chalet in San Miguel, Jordan, Guimaras.

The five-day training gathered 11 participants, composed of two representatives each from the municipalities of Buenavista, Jordan, Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo, and Sibunag, and one representative from the provincial government of Guimaras.

The training equipped participants with technical skills to process, analyze, and maximize community-level data using R, a programming language widely used for data management, statistical analysis, and data visualization.

Participants underwent intensive sessions on data generation, cleaning, and transformation; data management techniques; statistical tabulation; and data visualization.

Through hands-on exercises, participants gained practical experience in processing large datasets and generating statistical outputs that can support local planning and decision-making.

According to Renante D. Baleña, statistician I of the municipality of Jordan, the training has significantly contributed to the municipality’s ongoing efforts to prepare its CBMS-based publication and generate local development indicators.

To date, the municipality of Jordan has produced 17 statistical tables using its 2024 CBMS data, which will form part of its upcoming statistical publication.

“The R Programming training has been a great help to us, especially in generating specific indicators from a huge set of CBMS data easily and hassle-free for our municipality. The knowledge and skills that we gained from the training have enabled us to better appreciate the value of our data and how these can be translated into information that will support local planning and decision-making,” Baleña said.

Republic Act No. 11315, or the Community-Based Monitoring System Act, institutionalized the generation and use of granular household-level data to support evidence-based planning and decision-making at the local and national levels.

As local government units continue to maximize their CBMS datasets, strengthening data analytics capacities has become increasingly important.

Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare emphasized that the true measure of the training’s success lies in the ability of local government units to transform data into meaningful and useful statistical outputs.

“The true value of capacity-building is realized when knowledge is translated into action. We are proud to see all municipalities in Guimaras maximizing their 2024 CBMS data to generate local indicators and develop their respective statistical publications. These initiatives demonstrate the commitment of our local government units to institutionalize evidence-based planning and ensure that development interventions are anchored on reliable and timely statistics,” Losare said.

She added that the Community-Based Monitoring System is not merely a data collection exercise but a powerful tool that enables local governments to identify priority concerns, target interventions, and formulate responsive and inclusive development programs anchored on reliable and timely statistics.

“The PSA remains committed to strengthening the capacities of local government units in the Province of Guimaras and fostering a culture of data-driven governance where statistics are transformed into actionable information for inclusive and sustainable development,” Losare said.