The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) La Union Provincial Statistical Office is currently conducting the second visit of the 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES 2018)-Visit 2that started on January 10 until January 31, 2019. It is a rider survey of the January 2019 round of the Labor Force Survey (LFS).

The FIES is a nationwide survey that gathers data on the income distribution and levels of living and spending patterns of Filipino families across the country. Data to be obtained from this survey will be the basis of the government for its social and economic development planning and decision-making.

Specifically, the survey aims to: gather data on family, sources of income, family expenditure and related information affecting family income and expenditure levels; determine the income distribution, levels of living and spending patterns, and the degree of inequality among families; provide benchmark information to update the weights used in the estimation of Consumer Price Index (CPI); and provide inputs in the estimation of the country’s poverty threshold and incidence.

The 2018 FIES visit 2 is a continuation of the FIES visit 1 conducted in July 2018 using the same set of questions. The first visit used the first semester (January to June 2018) as reference period while the second visit will have July to December 2018 as the reference period.

A total of 57 hired personnel, composed of 52 Statistical Researchers (SRs) and five team supervisors (TS), together with the PSA regular personnel will visit/interview about 1,493 sample households in 97 barangays in La Union.

To have a common understanding of concepts and procedures in the conduct of FIES 2018, series of trainings were conducted by the PSA starting from the task force training at the national level.  The regional(2^nd) level training was done on December 17 to 22, 2018 at Ariana Hotel, Paringao, Bauang, La Union participated by Provincial Statistics Officers (PSOs), focal persons and regular field personnel. The second level participants served as trainers during the provincial level training of TSs and SRs conducted on January 3 to 9, 2019 at Marand Resort and Spa, Baccuit Sur, Bauang, la Union.

The authority of the PSA to conduct the FIES 2018 emanates from Republic Act 10625, approved on September 12, 2013, creating and mandating the PSA as the agency primarily responsible to prepare and conduct statistical sample surveys on all aspects of socioeconomic life including agriculture, industry, trade, finance, prices and marketing information, income and expenditures, education, health, culture and social situations as well as the government and the political sector for the use of the government and the public.

The FIES is composed of an 80-page questionnaire that may take several hours of interview depending on the ability of the respondent to provide answers on their family income and expenditures for the period July to December 2018.

The PSA therefore request the selected sample families in La Union for their utmost support and cooperation to the survey by providing the complete and truthful information to the assigned interviewers. PSAassures the respondents that all information gathered from them will be kept strictly confidential as stipulated inSection 26 of RA 10625.The PSA releases data gathered in the form of summaries or statistical tables, in which no reference to an individual, corporation, association, partnership, institution or business enterprise shall appear in the report.  ###

SGD. NIÑO E. TUAZON

(Supervising Statistical Specialist)

Officer-in-Charge