NSO sues company for refusing survey

CEBU, Philippines - The court will start hearing tomorrow the case filed by the National Statistics Office-7 against a pastry and bread supplier for refusing to answer survey questionnaires for the Annual Survey of Philippine Business Industry.

Last February NSO filed a criminal case against Cebu Golden Buns Corp. for violating Commonwealth Act 591 when it did not answer questionnaires provided to them April last year.

Commonwealth Act 591 is the act creating a bureau of census and statistics “to consolidate statistical activities of the government”.

Section 3 of the act states that any person who fails or refuses to accomplish, mail or deliver such questionnaire or form received by him to the Bureau of the Census and Statistics faces a six-month imprisonment and a P600 fine, or both, if found guilty.

NSO said they visited the said establishment four times specifically on May 6, May 25, June 8 and June 18, 2011 but CGBC did not give any reply to their notices. They again sent reminders last July and August but CGBC still did not make any move. The company allegedly issued a manifesto that they will not comply with the survey.

After communicating with their head office NSO-7 eventually filed the case.

“They refused to do their part. They’re not cooperating and it seemed that they undermine the survey and has not given it any importance,” said NSO District Statistics Officer of Cebu North District Juanilla Premne during the Association of Government Information Officers forum yesterday.

Noel Rafols, NSO-7 statistical coordination officer and public information officer, said the 60 employees working for the company need not worry since only the owner, manager and whoever the company assigned the matter to will be charged.

CGBC supplies several client companies including McDonald’s food products. The said company is located at Fulton St., Barangay Lahug, Cebu City, and is a sister company of Anita’s Home Bakeshop Inc.

This is not the first time NSO-7 has filed a case against an establishment for not complying with a survey, in 2008 Pilipinas Shell and E-Telecare, were also charged. However, the cases did not push through after the lawyers of the said companies apologized and the companies complied with the survey.

Premne said that if CGBC complies with the survey, they might also not push through with the case.

NSO also has plans of increasing the measly P600 fine up to the hundred thousands.

The FREEMAN tried to contact CGBC owner Benjamin Cabinian but company human resource officer Jennifer Montano said Cabinian was busy.

Meanwhile, the Census Compliance Project designed by NSO will also be implemented. Establishments that will refuse or supply manipulated, fictitious and fake information on the survey will also be charged.

“Inconsistencies of their answers will really reflect during the tabulation. That’s why we are encouraging them not to tabulate the data. Anyway we will never divulge it to the public as it is also against the law. All we need are the right answers because this is very crucial to our government lawmakers, as this will be their basis in studying the status of our economy,” Rafols said. –(FREEMAN)