THE National Statistics Office (NSO) is already training survey enumerators for the 2009-second semester Family Income and Expenditure Survey (Fies), which they are set to conduct this week.
According to NSO-CAR Director Olivia Gulla, Fies is the hardest of the surveys they are conducting since it uses a very detailed, 72 pages questionnaire that will provide data on family income and expenditure which include among others levels of consumption by items of expenditure as well as sources of income whether in cash or in kind.
"It is very detailed as it includes all types of household expenditures like food, clothing, electricity and even allowances of school children and all kinds and sources of income of the family whether in cash or in kind," Gulla said.
She informed that they have already finished last year the Fies for the first semester of 2009 (January - June) and the enumerators are now going back to the same households they surveyed for the July to December income and expenditure survey," Gulla added.
The Fies is a national survey being conducted by NSO every three years. It specifically discusses levels of living and disparities in income and spending patterns of families belonging to different income groups.
It also includes related information such as number of family members employed for pay or profit (or as wage, salary, or own-account workers); occupation, age, and educational attainment of household head, and other housing characteristics.
Aside from the Fies, the NSO is also set to conduct the 2010 Census on Population and Housing this coming May after the 2010 automated election. According to Gulla, they have already finished a pilot census in Kabayan, Benguet, one of the four pilot areas nationwide, which will play a vital part in the preparations of survey manuals and forms.
Other pilot areas include a municipality each in Bohol and Surigao and a barangay in Makati City.
"The next part will be a national planning workshop for the Census on population and Housing field operation, which is set to be conducted next month," Gulla added.
Gulla also announced that for this year they will continue updating their list of establishments in the region, their regular monthly price survey, information survey on building permits, the quarterly labor force survey, plus their regular administrative survey on birth, death and marriage statistics. (Lito Dar)