The Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI) was commissioned by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to conduct an audit survey to evaluate the data quality of the results of the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) 2018. FIES is a nationwide survey of households undertaken every three years. It is the primary data source on family income and expenditure, including, among others, consumption levels by item of expenditure and sources of income, in cash and in-kind.

The statistics drawn from FIES are essential for policy planning and monitoring for the public and private sectors. Thus, an examination of the quality of survey data is highly important. The study targeted 8,913 households and successfully interviewed 6,394 households for the FIES 2018 (1st round) audit. A 39-page questionnaire tailored for this project was administered to the selected households. The audit commenced in June 2018 and continued until February 2019. It was spearheaded by Dr. Dennis S. Mapa, the Dean of the UP School of Statistics then, and Prof. Michael Dominic Del Mundo of the UP Population Institute (UPPI).

In an effort to improve internet accessibility for Filipinos, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) launched one of its flagship projects called the Pipol Konek: Free Wi-fi Internet Access in Public Places. It aims to provide internet connectivity in public spaces such as schools, parks, plazas, government hospitals, train stations, airports, and seaports that could potentially accelerate economic, social, and educational opportunities to reduce the growing digital divide. As of 2019, Pipol Konek provides free public Wi-Fi access to 1,391 public places across 419 localities nationwide.

To determine the project’s initial impact in providing alternative access to the internet and to gain further insights for its improvement, the DICT commissioned the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI) to conduct a user feedback analysis. The assessment covered the demographic characteristics, perceptions, and activities of Pipol Konek users. The survey results showed the effect of the project on its target beneficiaries and how the provision of free internet connectivity enhanced their social, economic, and educational opportunities. The survey also solicited feedback from the beneficiaries, which was used to guide the proponent agency’s future plans for the improvement of the project.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology commissioned the PSRTI to conduct the 2019 National Information and Communications Technology Household Survey (NICTHS). The NICTHS is the inaugural national household survey on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the Philippines that aims to bridge the gap from the lack of necessary ICT data by collecting baseline information on the access and usage of ICT infrastructures, products, and services in the country.

The project focused on the awareness, access, and usage of ICT at the community, household, and individual levels. The sample consisted of around 43,838 households across 2,635 barangays using the 2013 Master Sample of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The data collected from the NICTHS was used mainly to describe the following:

1. ICT infrastructure at the Community Level
2. Household access to different ICT products and services
3. Usage of the Internet and how it contributes to the digitization of economic activities
4. Access to E-Government Services

The conclusions drawn from the survey would serve as vital inputs in monitoring existing programs, developing prospective projects, and formulating future policies geared towards advancing ICT in the country.

In November 2019, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) requested the assistance of the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI) to conduct a follow-up survey entitled “Improving the Chances of Success of Poor Households through Better Beneficiary Sorting and Employment Facilitation in the Philippines.” The Follow-up Survey for Improving the Chances of Success of Poor Households through Better Beneficiary Sorting and Employment Facilitation in the Philippines aimed to collect household data on a sample of treated and controlled households which will be used for estimating the impact of the Seed Capital Fund (SCF). The survey was in line with the objective of measuring the impact of the SCF on the welfare of Pantawid households who received SCF assistance in 2018.

The study used a matching approach to evaluate the effect of financial assistance on the Microenterprise Development (MD) track beneficiaries. Pantawid households that received SCF assistance unaccompanied by other SLP grants from January 2018 to June 2018 (treated households) were matched with Pantawid households that have never received any form of SLP assistance (control households). The study covered 2,574 households across 39 cities/municipalities in the country.

In 2019, the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA) partnered with the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI) to conduct a pilot study on the Information Technology – Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector. In particular, a Workplace Skills and Satisfaction (WSS) Survey was administered to IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) member companies. The survey aimed to provide quantitative measures on skills, assess factors that are likely to impact on skills use, identify emerging future skills, and determine the satisfaction of employers with the competencies and performance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Graduates.

A survey questionnaire was developed to collect data on 24 participating sites from five subsectors: Animation and Game Development, Contact Center BPO, Health Information Management, Information Technology Outsourcing, and the Global In-House Center. The survey results provided a basis for enhancing and making sound policies that are more responsive to the demands of the industries and could bridge the gap between training and employment, thus aiding in the betterment of the technical education and skills development system in the country.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) initially developed the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan (AFMP) 2018-2023. This plan contains the sector’s specific strategic direction toward food security, poverty alleviation and social equity, income enhancement and profitability, global competitiveness, and sustainability for 2018 to 2023. Later, the AFMP was updated to the National Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization and Industrialization Plan (NAFMIP) in order to include new paradigms focused on modernization and industrialization. The plan identified three goals for the agriculture and fisheries sector, which are: (1) enhanced food security; (2) improved resilience of agri-fishery communities; and (3) poverty alleviation and improved quality of life of farmers and fisherfolk.

With several goals and outcomes, monitoring the Plan’s performance and progress was vital to its success. Thus, the DA, in partnership with the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI), spearheaded a nationwide baseline survey from May to August 2021. This undertaking covered 6,048,812 farmers and 898,631 fisherfolk. The baseline information generated would be essential in establishing a reference point to which future measures will be compared. This data can aid in the evidence-based evaluation of the plan’s progress, its effectiveness in achieving the intended outcomes, and contributing to the envisioned goals.

Estimating Poverty in the Philippines
Income, consumption, and poverty measurement in the Philippines
1.3.1. Measuring the proportion of population covered by social protection

Measuring Progress on Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture
2.c.1 – Indicator of Food Price Anomalies in the Philippines
2.1.2 – Food Insecurity of Agricultural Households in the Philippines
2.4.1 – Measuring the Progress Towards Productive and Sustainable Agriculture in the Philippines

Review of SDG Indicators on Health
3.b.3 – Adequacy of medicines in health facilities
3.c.1 – Health Worker Density and Distribution
3.d.1 – International Health Regulations (IHR) capacity and health emergency preparedness
3.4.2 – Measuring Suicide Mortality
3.5.2 – Alcohol per capita consumption
3.8.1 – Coverage of essential health services
3.9.2 – Mortality Rate Attributed to Unsafe Water, Unsafe Sanitation, and lack of Hygiene

To capacitate the Local Government Units (LGUs) in the implementation and provision of social protection programs and services, the Technical Assistance and Resource Augmentation (TARA) program was operationalized to advance the functionality of Local Social Welfare and Development Offices (LSWDO) and enable them to design and implement specific social protection interventions that will address the needs of their locality. An initial phase in the implementation of the TARA Program is to determine the capacity of LSWDOs and the competency of their officers in delivering social protection programs and services. For this, the DSWD – Social Welfare Institutional Development Bureau (SWIDB) assessed the functionality of LSWDOs through the administration of the Service Delivery Capacity and Competency Assessment (SDCCA) Tool.

However, for the 2022 round of the assessment, the SDCCA Functionality Tool was deemed in need of review and updating in order to align with the Strategic-Focus Utilized to Leverage Our Nation’s Good Governance (SULONG) Recovery Plan (SRP) in response to recent developments such as, the emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic and the imminent enactment of the Mandanas Ruling. Thus, the DSWD-SWIDB engaged the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI) to update the SDCCA Functionality Tool toward a more accurate capacity assessment and targeted provision of technical assistance to LGUs.

For 2022, the PSRTI focuses on the education, gender, and environment sectors. The agency has ongoing scoping studies to determine which among the select indicators will be prioritized for further methodological studies.

Scoping Report on the Indicators of SDG 4 – Quality Education
4.a.1 Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
4.b.1 Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
4.c.1 Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
4.2.1 Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial well-being, by sex
4.4.1 Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
4.5.1 Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated

Scoping Report on the Indicators of SDG 5 – Gender Equality
5.a.1 a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2 Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b.1 Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.3.2 Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4.1 Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age, and location
5.6.1 Proportion of women aged 15–49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care

Scoping Report on the Indicators of SDG 14 – Life Below Water
14.a.1. Proportion of total research budget allocated to research in the field of marine technology
14.b.1 Degree of application of a legal/regulatory/policy/institutional framework which recognizes and protects access rights for small‐scale fisheries
14.c.1 Number of countries making progress in ratifying, accepting and implementing through legal, policy and institutional frameworks, ocean-related instruments that implement international law, as reflected in the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea, for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources
14.1.1 (a) Index of Coastal Eutrophication
14.1.1 (b) plastic debris density
14.2.1 Number of Countries using Ecosystem-Based Approaches to Managing Marine Areas
14.3.1 Average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations
14.4.1 Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels
14.6.1 Degree of implementation of international instruments aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
14.7.1 Sustainable fisheries as a proportion of GDP in small island developing States, least developed countries and all countries

Scoping Report on the Indicators of SDG 15 – Life on Land
15.3.1 Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area
15.4.1 Coverage by protected areas of important sites for mountain biodiversity
15.4.2 Mountain Green Cover Index
15.5.1 Red List Index
15.6.1 Number of countries that have adopted legislative, administrative and policy frameworks to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits
15.7.1 Proportion of traded wildlife that was poached or illicitly trafficked
15.8.1 Proportion of countries adopting relevant national legislation and adequately resourcing the prevention or control of invasive alien species
15.9.1 (a) Number of countries that have established national targets in accordance with or similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in their national biodiversity strategy and action plans and the progress reported towards these targets; and (b) integration of biodiversity into national accounting and reporting systems, defined as implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting

Methodological research on the following SDG indicators:
a. Estimating SDG Indicator 4.2.1: Proportion of children aged 24-59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial well-being
b. Localizing SDG Indicator 15.4.1: Coverage by Protected Areas of Important Sites for Mountain Biodiversity in the Philippines
c. Localizing the Generation of SDG Indicator 15.4.2a: Mountain Green Cover Index
d. Estimating SDG 14.1.1(a): Index of Coastal Eutrophication