PSA-Guimaras covers 768 households for 2021 July round of LFS, FIES

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office is now enumerating the 768 sample Households (HHs) for the July 2021 Round Labor Force Survey (LFS) and the 2021 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) which started on July 8, 2021 and will conclude on the 31^st day of the month.

The 768 pre-identified sample households (HHs) were from various 48 Enumeration Areas (EAs) covering 44 barangays – Maclain (22HHs), Tastasan (19HHs), San Roque (10HHs), Sto. Rosario (20HHs), San Pedro (12HHS), Getulio (12 HHs), San Isidro (14HHs), Cansilayan (15HHs), Getulio (11HHs), New Poblacion (13HHs), Piña (18HHs) and 19 HHs each in Old Poblacion and Tinadtaran of Buenavista Municipality.

“In the Municipality of Jordan, the chosen sample HHs were from the barangays of Hoskyn with 11HHs, Balcon Melliza (23HHs), Rizal (4HHs), Poblacion (18HHs), Bugnay (15HHs), San Miguel (17HHs) and 16 HHs each in Lawi, Espinosa, Sta. Teresa,” said Provincial Statistical Officer Nelida B. Losare.

“Oracon Norte 12HHs, Ravina 20HHs, Inampolugan (2HHS), and 10HHs each for Bubog and Alegria Sibunag Municipality,” she added.

Other sample HHs were from the Nueva Valencia’s barangays: Dolores (18HHs), Pandaraonan (17HHs), Sto Domingo (15HHs), Poblacion (11HHs), Concordia Sur (13HHs), Lanipe (19HHs), and, 20HHs each for Lucmayan, Oracon Sur, and Guiwanon.

San Enrique (15HHs), Cabungahan (18HHs), M. Chavez (11HHs), Gaban (15HHs), Cabano (26HHs), Tamburong (20HHs) and, Igcawayan (17HHs) were the other barangays covered in San Lorenzo.

Losare cited that the identified sample HH will be subjected for a replacement once the listed sample HH is classified either as Permanently Moved Out (PMO), Vacant Housing Unit (VHU), and Non-Usual Residents (NUR).

“The HH may be classified as PMO, VHU, and NUR based on the results of the interview, and as of now, we do not have the final list of HH replacement since the operation is smoothly going on, the province of Guimaras now had reached 57 percent in terms of enumeration or data gathering”, Losare explained.

“The training for the LFS July Round and the 2021 FIES was done in 2 batches due to the Executive Order (EO) No. 29, Series of 2021, an order modifying the business restrictions in the province of Guimaras. We started the survey in Guimaras late of schedule because of the restrictions which hampered the conduct of the training, instead of having it once it was done in two batches,” she added.

The LFS is a nationwide quarterly survey of households conducted by the PSA to gather data on the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the population.

Losare also explained that the LFS aimed at providing a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and policies affecting the labor market.

The 2021 July round LFS was conducted by the PSA as mandated by Republic Act (RA) No. 10625, otherwise known as the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013.

“Under Article 6, Rule 5 of the said RA, the PSA is mandated to prepare and conduct statistical sample surveys on all aspects of socioeconomic life including agriculture, industry, trade, finance, prices, and marketing information, income and expenditure, education, health, culture, and social situations for the use of the government and the public,” Losare expounded.

The July 2021 LFS involves the collection of data on labor and employment. It also gathers the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the labor force.

The 2021 FIES, however, is a rider questionnaire of the 2021 July round LFS, which aims to gather data on the income distribution and levels of living and spending patterns of Filipino families across the country, likewise, this survey will capture the effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the expenditure pattern of families and will be the nineteenth survey conducted from the time it started in 1957.

“The 2021 FIES is the rider survey for the 2021 July round LFS and nationwide household-based survey conducted every three years in two separate visits,” Losare said.

Losare also explained that the first round/visit of the 2021 FIES is for data gathering specifically on the income and expenditure of families for the first semester, 01 January to 30 June 2021.

Losare also explained that the PSA Statistical Researchers (SRs) and Team Supervisors (TS) who shall undertake the surveys in several modes: through phone interview, online interview, or face-to-face interview using Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) or Pen-and-Paper Personal Interview (PAPI), done with adherence to physical distancing and strictly following health protocols.

Moreover, PSO Losare is soliciting the support of all the sample households to provide accurate and reliable data. She guarantees that all information gathered will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and will be used solely as a reference on the levels and trends of employment, unemployment, and underemployment in the province.

“All information collected by the hired Statistical Researchers from the sample households shall be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used for purposes of taxation, investigation or regulation as provided under Article 55 of Republic Act 10625,” Losare said.