PSA Negros Occidental deploys 112 for LFS, FIES

BACOLOD CITY — The Philippine Statistics Authority–Negros Occidental Provincial Statistical Office has deployed 112 field personnel for the January 2026 Labor Force Survey (LFS) and the 2025 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) Visit 2 following the completion of a seven-day third-level training program.

The training, held Jan. 12, 2026, at Acacia Hotel in Bacolod City, was designed to equip field staff with the technical expertise needed to ensure high-quality data collection for the two nationwide surveys.

The activity was facilitated by Provincial Focal Person Resty John M. Bancruz and Assistant Provincial Focal Persons Ligaya M. Gillesania and April Rhea D. Ponsica, with additional support from personnel of the PSA Negros Island Region.

A total of 101 hired Statistical Researchers and 11 Team Supervisors participated in the training in preparation for their deployment across Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.

To ensure focused instruction, the sessions were divided into three classes and conducted under the supervision of Officer-in-Charge Regional Director John F. Campomanes.

Campomanes underscored the “noble objective” of the surveys, stressing that the integrity of the data collected is essential in providing an accurate snapshot of the current living conditions of residents in the province.

The LFS serves as the government’s primary tool for monitoring labor market conditions, including unemployment rates, labor force participation, and average hours worked, as well as tracking previous industries and occupations of unemployed individuals.

Running alongside the LFS is the 2025 FIES Visit 2, a rider survey conducted in two visits to capture comprehensive data on household income sources, expenditures, and consumption levels nationwide.

The PSA said FIES data are critical in determining income distribution, spending patterns, and the extent of income inequality, which directly inform social protection programs and economic policy formulation.

Field operations for the January 2026 LFS and the 2025 FIES Visit 2 are scheduled from Jan. 13 to Jan. 31, 2026, with trained statistical researchers serving as the primary data collectors across the province.

The PSA said the surveys aim to provide policymakers with evidence-based insights to guide the design of interventions that will improve the well-being and quality of life of people in Negros Occidental.