In year 2023, Philippine Statistics Authority celebrated its 10th Anniversary with the theme “PSA@10: Providing Quality Services through Digital Transformation” which highlights its continuous effort in enhancing the digitalization of its processes to be able to provide better service for the public. Along with this celebration, the Philippine Statistics Authority Regional Statistical Services Office IV-A continues to strive to fulfill its mission to deliver timely, relevant, and reliable statistics, efficient civil registration services, and inclusive identification system to the public.

Data Collection activities of the PSA were efficiently conducted and implemented during the year, namely household-based and establishment-based surveys, agricultural surveys and collection of administrative data. The conduct of the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries was a major challenge to the agency with the use of tablets and the system outsourced from a private entity. Six other local governments units signified to conduct the Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) in their locality during the year. The field offices had to adjust its workload to accommodate the added tasks it entails. Before the year ends, the region was very grateful that it was able to turned over CBMS data of 22 LGUs (out of 33) that was included in the 2022 rollout. Moreover, the region had flourished with the release of the first-ever report of the Provincial Product Accounts (PPA) of CALABARZON which was successfully disseminated from November 28 to December 1. With the help of the Regional Statistics Committee, the region started the compilation of Compendium of CALABARZON Environmental Statistics that is targeted to be released in 2024.

After hitting the 10-million mark in 2022, PSA CALABARZON continues to adopt new strategies to reach the target number of registrants for the Philippine Identification System Step 2 Registration. These strategies include the implementation of PhilSys registration in schools and the conduct of mobile registrations wherein PhilSys Registration teams visit the barangays within their respective provinces most especially the far-flung areas.

The implementation of the PhilSys Birth Registration Assistance Project (PBRAP) continued with the objective of assisting individuals with unregistered births specifically those in those belonging to the Indigenous Peoples, Muslim Filipinos and indigents. This project complements the goal of the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade (CRVS) of “get everyone in the picture” and the implementation of the PhilSys, where people can have their births registered until the issuance of their PhilID.

Furthermore, PSA RSSO IV-A continues to provide better civil registration services to our clients and with the implementation of the CRS-Information Technology Project Phase II (CRS-ITP 2) in March, wherein civil registry documents are released at a shorter time (i.e. within 1 hour) compared to the usual CRS outlet. In addition, other documents/processes are available at the outlet like the issuance of certificate of no death (CENODEATH) that is not available at this time in most CRS outlets.

The year 2023 is another great year for the CALABARZON Regional Statistics Committee since we again triumphed as the Best RSC for the fourth time. The Best Regional Statistics Committee Award is a testament to the exemplary efforts and contributions of PSA RSSO 4A in promoting statistical development and collaboration within the region. The award recognizes the office’s outstanding performance in coordinating statistical activities, fostering cooperation among various stakeholders, and enhancing the overall statistical landscape at the regional level. This award not only acknowledges PSA RSSO 4A’s contributions to the regional statistical landscape but also highlights its pivotal role in shaping a data-driven future for the Philippines. As the office continues to excel in its mission, it remains a beacon of excellence in the realm of statistical services, ensuring that accurate and reliable data remains at the forefront of regional development initiatives.

PSA RSSO IV-A continued to support the strengthening of statistics thru its active participation in many inter-agency committees of the Regional Development Council. The compilation of various indicators to monitor our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) had been one of our priorities.

Furthermore, RSSO IV-A successfully conducted the PSA IV-A’s 1st Suppliers’ Forum and Information Caravan on May 31 with the objective of ensuring that the suppliers and internal clients are oriented on the various goods and services commonly needed by the PSA.

With these achievements in 2023, our heartfelt appreciation goes to our respondents, data producers, stakeholders, data collectors, data users, and to the PSA CALABARZON officials and personnel for their continued support, commitment, and hard work; together as one we have again made progress and contributions in many areas. Sincerest gratitude is also extended to the local government units who have partnered with us for the conduct of the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The next year promises to be both an exciting and challenging period for the PSA as we strengthen digital information and improve quality of statistical products, civil registration and identification services towards the development and recovery of our nation.