ILOILO City – Government officials underscored the critical role of accurate data and statistical evidence in shaping sound public policy as the 36th National Statistics Month (NSM) celebration opened in Western Visayas.
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) regional director Nelida Amolar said the annual observance is more than a formality—it is a call to strengthen public awareness and cooperation for credible and responsive statistics that drive national and local development.
“We share the same goal in fostering public awareness and cooperation for a more reliable and responsive national statistical system,” Amolar said during a press conference launching the NSM celebration this October.
Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) regional director Arecio Casing Jr. emphasized that evidence-based planning relies heavily on dependable data, making the PSA’s role indispensable in the region’s policy formulation and project implementation.
“The use of statistical data is very important to us. Hence, this advocacy should be shared with all sectors of society, most especially the youth and our children,” Casing said.
He noted that this year’s month-long activities aim to engage students and social media users to deepen appreciation for data and statistics as tools for nation-building.
Casing also pointed out that local government units (LGUs) now collect data through their community-based monitoring systems (CBMS), a key source of grassroots-level information.
At the same time, he warned that as Industry 5.0 technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly depend on data inputs, users must exercise discernment.
“Users should be wary and check the data that is being used. You have to make sure you trust the AI you are using,” he said.
This year’s celebration carries the theme “Accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Pace of Progress: Mobilizing Data for All,” highlighting the growing importance of inclusive data collection in achieving global and national development targets./PN
