The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is conducting the 2017 Annual Survey of Philippine Business and Industry (ASPBI). The 2017 ASPBI is the 46th in the series and the latest of the annual surveys which aims to collect and generate information on the levels, structure, performance and trends of economic activities of the formal sector of the economy for the year 2017. Regular employees of the PSA and hired statistical researchers conducted the distribution of questionnaires from April 16, 2018 to May 11, 2018 to the sample businesses and industries. The sample respondents are given ten days to accomplish the 2017 ASPBI questionnaire before these are to be collected by the PSA personnel. All survey questionnaires distributed to the sample establishments must be collected until July 13, 2018.

The ASPBI is a continuing activity of the PSA. It is one of the designated statistical activities of the government and as such the survey generates the essential statistics required for economic planning and analysis. The ASPBI includes the 2017 Survey on Information and Communication Technology (SICT) as a rider survey. The 2017 SICT is the sixth survey to be conducted as rider to the ASPBI. The SICT aims to collect and generate information on the availability, distribution and access/utilization of ICT among establishments in the country. The measurement of ICT will generate core ICT indicators that are important for measuring the progress in information and communication technology

The data collected under the 2017 ASPBI and SICT are covered by the confidentiality of information clause under Section 26 of RA 10625 which stipulates that individual data furnished by a respondent to statistical inquiries, surveys and censuses of the PSA shall be considered privileged information and such shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding. The PSA releases data gathered in the form of summaries of statistical tables, in which no reference to individual, corporation, association, partnership, institution or business enterprise shall appear.

Like with other statistical surveys of the PSA, the successful conduct of the 2017 ASPBI and SICT will be attributed to the cooperation and supports of the sample establishments as well as the local government units and other stakeholders.