ANTIQUE — The provincial government, through the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), in partnership with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Antique, officially launched the 36th National Statistics Month (NSM) celebration on Thursday, October 9.
The nationwide observance, held every October, aims to promote public awareness and appreciation of the vital role of statistics in policy-making, planning, and daily life.
The celebration opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Statistical Exhibits at City Mall, San Jose de Buenavista, showcasing data on the province’s population, economic performance, and national identification registration.
“Statistics is very important. We must know the data and the facts so that we will be objective in our positions. Statistics will only be useful if people decide correctly and use it properly,” said Provincial Administrator Robin Rubinos during the opening ceremony.
This year’s celebration features a series of educational and competitive activities, including E-Poster Making Contests for government offices, LGUs, and students (deadline: October 15, 2025); Statistics Quiz for Junior and Senior High School students (provincial elimination on October 11, 2025); 29th Philippine Statistics Quiz – Provincial Elimination (College Level); and Presentation of Basic Statistics Topics to high school and college students during the last week of October.
PSA Antique Supervising Statistical Specialist Rodme A. Febreo expressed gratitude to the provincial government for allocating P150,000 to fund this year’s celebration.
Gov. Paolo S. Javier reaffirmed his support for the PSA’s continuing initiatives to promote accurate data collection and utilization in crafting effective development policies for the province.
As of July 1, 2024, PSA data show Antique’s total population at 643,173, with San Jose remaining the most populated municipality at 69,522 residents, followed by Sibalom (67,155) and Hamtic (54,455).
The province’s economy recorded a 4.4% growth rate in 2024, up from 2.6% in 2023, with the industry sector contributing 47.7% of total output.
Meanwhile, under the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys), 557,802 Antiqueños have successfully registered for the national ID, and 236,267 ePhilIDs have been distributed from February 2021 to September 2025./PN
