The Philippine Statistics Authority - Regional Statistical Services Office I encourages the sample households and the local government officials to support the conduct of 2018 Family lncome and Expenditure Survey (FIES) and July 2018 Labor Force Survey (LFS).  Data collection activity will commence on July 9, 2018, which will be conducted by around 240 trained Statistical Researchers and will cover 6,144 sample households throughout the region.

The LFS is a nationwide survey conducted every quarter which aims to gather information on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. The said survey aims to provide a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and formulation of policies affecting the labor market.

On the other hand, FIES is the main source of data on family income and expenditure in the country.  The said survey aims to accomplish the following objectives, (a)  to gather data  on family  income,  sources  of income,  family  expenditure  and  related  information  affecting family income  and expenditure  levels  and patterns  in  the  Philippines; (b)  to  determine the  income distribution,  levels  of living  and  spending  patterns and the  degree  of  inequality  among families;  (c)  to provide benchmark information  to  update  the  weights  used  in  the  estimation of Consumer Price lndex (CPl);  and  (d) to provide  inputs  in  the  estimation  of  the  country's poverty  threshold  and  incidence.

The FIES  2018 shall be conducted in two separate operations as a rider to the July 2018 LFS and January 2019 LFS of the following year.  The first visit in July 2018 will gather data for the period January 1 to June 30, 2018, while the second visit in January 2019 will gather data for the period July 1 to December 31, 2018.

As provided in Section 26 of RA 10625, 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 or statistical tables, in which no reference to the respondents.  Likewise, section 27 of the same Act states that a person, including parties within the PSA Board and the PSA, who breach the confidentiality of information, shall be liable and will be charged accordingly. Once again, the PSA requests all the sample households to cooperate and  provide  truthful, complete  and  accurate  information  that  will  ultimately  serve  as  a  vital  Input  in  evidence based  planning and  decision-making.

SGD. SOCRATES L. RAMORES

Regional Director