LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The province of Pangasinan was again adjudged as the Best Province in the National Statistics Month (NSM) celebration in the whole Ilocos (Region 1).
Governor Amado Espino Jr. bared this during the 26th NSM Provincial Closing and Awarding Ceremony Friday, October 30, at the Sison Auditorium, Lingayen.
The province of Pangasinan garnered the Best NSM Province in Region 1 award for three consecutive years -- 2008, 2009, and 2010 -- and was conferred the Hall of Fame Award in 2011.
“So after three years of grace period, the body again conferred to Pangasinan the Region’s Best NSM Province in 2014 and in this year 2015, during the NSM Regional Closing and Awarding Program,” said Espino.
The governor underscored the importance of statistics in the creation of development plans such as in health or poverty alleviation.
He said through statistics, the identification of the less-privileged is possible, aiding the Provincial Government on how to help such group.
Meanwhile, during the event, the Provincial Government also recognized its most statistically developed cities and municipalities.
Arranged from first to third rank, these most statistically developed local government units were Alaminos City, Urdaneta City, San Carlos City for category A (cities); category B (first to second class municipalities) winners were Mangaldan, San Nicolas, Binalonan; and Bautista, Tayug, Laoac for category C (third to fifth class municipalities).
The search was launched in 2013 with the objective of promoting to the towns the “importance on the value of statistics in our pursuit of meaningful development.”
“This is the first of such kind not only in Region 1 but in the country,” noted Espino.
Students who won in the different statistical contests were also awarded.
Champions in the different contests were representatives of Bayambang National High School (quiz bee - secondary), Pangasinan State University (PSU) San Carlos City (quiz bee - tertiary); Colegio San Jose De Alaminos (poster slogan - secondary), PSU Urdaneta (poster slogan - tertiary); SEPNAS San Carlos City (oratorical- secondary), King Fisher School of Business and Finance (KFSBF) (oratorical - tertiary); St. Albert the Great School Dagupan City (essay writing - secondary), PSU Binmaley (essay writing - tertiary); Turac National High School (jingle making - secondary), KFSBF (jingle making - tertiary).
Espino said that being the most statistically developed province in the region, the National Statistics Coordination Board has chosen Pangasinan as the extension site of the National Statistics Information Centre (NSIC), which is the first and only Satellite NSIC in Ilocos and sixth in Luzon.
The NSIC in the province is located at the second floor of Malong Building within the Capitol Compound.
The center serves as a one stop shop of statistical information services with the main objective of developing a system of integrated sharing and disseminating statistical information to local government units in the region.
The 26th National Statistics Month Celebration centered on the theme, “Maximize and Use Statistics Towards Expanding Health Care Opportunities.” (PNA)