NSO to complete list of establishments

MANILA, Philippines – The National Statistics Office (NSO) will start the updating of the list of establishments (LE) in the country in May so it can have a reliable sampling frame for its censuses and surveys, the agency announced yesterday.

The LE is a database of all establishments in the Philippines.

In the announcement posted on its website signed by administrator Carmelita Ericta, the NSO defines an establishment as “an economic unit, which engages, under a single ownership or control, in one or predominantly one kind of economic activity at a single fixed physical location.”

As of 2011, the NSO database contains information on around 800,000 establishments including employment in 17 regions nationwide.

Updating the LE involves the listing of new establishments; updating of the status and characteristics of old establishments or those that have already been included in the database; de-listing of closed establishments; and identification of out-of-scope units.

“An updated database of establishments will provide the NSO a reliable sampling frame for its business and industry censuses and surveys,” NSO said in the announcement.

Data that will be collected will serve as a guide to government planning, policy making and monitoring; as a basis of marketing plans, opportunities and prospects; and as input to evaluation, market research and comparative studies.

“Thus, the agency looks forward to the full cooperation and support for the undertaking not only from national and local government agencies but also from the private sector, particularly the business associations,” NSO said.

Beginning May 2, 2012, NSO field staff and select trained interviewers will conduct a comprehensive door-to-door canvassing of establishments. The training of interviewers is ongoing and will continue until next month.

“We would like to assure our respondents that all information furnished to the NSO will be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used as evidence in court for purposes of taxation, regulation or investigation as provided for in Section 4 of Commonwealth Act No. 591,” NSO said.

“The NSO, upon request of government and public users, only provides summary information from the LE such as the counts of establishments with disaggregation by industry, by employment size, by region, and by selected area up to the barangay level,” it added.