SOF covers 28 overseas workers during 4th Quarter LFS in Guimaras

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office conducted a 2022 Survey on Filipino workers (SOF) which enumerated 28 sample-overseas during the 4th Quarter round Labor Force Survey (LFS) in the Island.

Of the 28 overseas, 16 were enumerated in Nueva Valencia, 5 samples each in Poblacion and Lucmayan, 4 from Dolores, and 2 from Lapaz.

“Nine (9) samples were enumerated in Jordan, three (3) each from Brgy. Balcon Maravilla and Rizal, two (2) from Espinosa and one (1) from Sta Teresa. Other samples came from Brgy. Tanglad Sibunag, and Brgy. Sto Rosario, Buenavista with 2 and 1 samples respectively,” said Provincial Statistical Officer, Nelida B. Losare.

The 2022 SOF seeks to gather information on Filipino citizens who are overseas workers who worked abroad during the last five years.

Data on their remittances, as well as data for the most part of the bulletin, are gathered using the past six months’ reference period. The SOF is a rider survey to the October round of the Labor Force Survey every year.

“The SOF aimed at providing data on overseas Filipinos, particularly the overseas contract workers and their contribution to the economy, obtaining national estimates on the number of overseas Filipinos including overseas workers and their socio-economic characteristics; and to provide estimates on the amount of cash and in-kind transfers received by the families and the mode of remittance,” Losare said.

“The 2022 SOF is a national rider survey of the October round LFS covering 192 sample households.”

Of the 192 samples, 90 came from Jordan Municipality. Twenty-one (21) HHs each in Brgy. Sta Teresa, and Balcon Maravilla, eighteen (18) HHs in Poblacion, sixteen (16) in Espinosa, and fourteen (14) in Rizal.

Forty-seven (47) sample HHs were enumerated in Nueva Valencia Municipality. Twenty (20) HHs from Brgy., Lucmayan, eighteen (18) HHs from Dolores, and nine (9) HHs from Lapaz.

“Forty-one (41) came from the Municipality of Sibunag. Sixteen (16) HHs enumerated in Brgy. Tanglad, 13 HHs in Sebaste, and 12 HHs in Oracon Norte”, Losare added.

“Sto. Rosario is only one Enumeration Area (EA) or Barangay enumerated in Buenavista Municipality with fourteen (14) HHs which also completed the 192 samples for LFS in Guimaras,” Losare added.  

Losare also highlighted that of the 192 samples, 20 HHs were replaced due to some reasons of unoccupied, destroyed, or demolished identified sample Housing Unit/s (HU/s).

The other basis for replacement is when the sample household permanently moved out from the housing unit, and a sample household is a non-permanent household occupying the housing unit that had passed away are the other basis for the replacement.

The 20 replacements were from the Municipalities of Sibuang, Jordan, Nueva Valencia, and Buenavista with 7,6 4, and 3 new samples, correspondingly.

The LFS is a monthly and quarterly household survey that measures the country’s current labor market and is used, among other things, to calculate national and provincial employment and unemployment rates. It gathers data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population that aims to provide a quantitative framework for the plan preparation and formulation of policies affecting the labor market.

“It aims at providing a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and policies affecting the labor market, likewise, it involves the collection of data on labor and employment. It also gathers the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the labor force”, Losare said.

The 2022 October 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 socio-economic 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 cited that the enumeration which they started on October 08, 2022, would not be completed without the efforts of the Hired Statistical Researchers (SRs) of PSA- Guimaras.

Losare also underscored that the PSA SRs and Team Supervisors (TS) undertook the surveys through a phone interview, online interview, or face-to-face interview using Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) or Pen-and-Paper Personal Interview (PAPI), with adherence to physical distancing and strictly following health protocols.

Meanwhile, Losare appreciated the support of all the sample households who provided accurate and reliable data and guaranteed that all information gathered will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.

“The data will be used solely as a reference for the levels and trends of employment, unemployment, and underemployment in the province. All information collected by the hired Statistical Researchers who were trained on October 4-7 2022 prior to their deployment in the field to interview 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 clarified.