𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐒, 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐖𝐆
Members of the reconstituted Cebu Provincial Statistics Committee (PSC) met for the first time on Thursday afternoon, April 8, 2026, and among its firsts acts is the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG).
The TWG would look into why not all local government units (LGUs) have not complied with the mandated hiring of a municipal or city statistician, particularly by looking into gaps and other hurdles.
Created through an executive order by Governor Pamela S. Baricuatro, the group also endorsed for her approval the addition of nine mostly national government agencies, for the body to have a total of 27 members.
As PSC chairperson, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Nerces D. Bispo led the meeting, which had the Philippine Statistics Authority-Cebu Provincial Office, led by Officer-in-charge Felixberto M. Sato Jr., as secretariat.
In approving the resolution for the creation of the TWG, the PSC pointed out that while Republic Act 11315 (Community-based Monitoring System) sets that LGUs are the ones to serve as primary data collectors for poverty and development indicators, among others, majority have not hired statisticians for this purpose.
Aside from creating the TWG, which comprises the Provincial Budget Office, Provincial Planning and Development Office, University of the Philippines-Cebu, Cebu Normal University, and the Cebu Technological University, the PSC also approved another resolution reminding LGUs on the national policy for the hiring of statisticians.
On behalf of the governor, Elizar Sabinay Jr. of PPDO explained during the meeting that the PSC is among the first bodies she created because she always wanted her governance to be backed with proper data.
Aside from requesting the governor to expand the PSC, creating a TWG, and reiterating the national policy on the hiring of statisticians, the body also passed two more resolutions—the “Institutionalization of the Provincial Products Accounts (PPA) and the PSA-LGU Data Sharing (PLDS)” and the dates for its third quarter and fourth quarter meetings.
It also reminded Capitol offices that were represented in the meeting and are involved in the formulation of Cebu’s “Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plan” on the pending data submissions needed for the plan, whose first draft the PPDO is expected to come up with this October, or six months from now. /𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑶𝑳 𝑷𝑰𝑶, 𝑷𝑷𝑫𝑶
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