Cebu: Regional government agencies are requesting the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to provide more accurate and up-to-date data to guide policy-making, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said Wednesday. Garcia underscored PSA data as crucial for crafting effective government policies and programs, thus the need to revisit the methodologies in data collection.

According to Philippines News Agency, Governor Garcia emphasized the importance of data accuracy, noting the potential consequences of inaccurate information. She recently convened with directors from several key regional agencies, including the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Interior and Local Government (DILG), Trade and Industry (DTI), Tourism (DOT), Education (DepEd), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). The meeting focused on aligning their data practices with those of the PSA to ensure consistency.

DA-7 Director Angel Enriquez expressed support for the initiative to review data collection practices, citing discouragement due to discrepancies between data from different agencies. This sentiment was echoed by DSWD-7 Director Shalaine Marie Lucero, who highlighted concerns over mismatches between PSA data and present conditions, which necessitated a reassessment of statistics for the food stamp program.

Additionally, PSA-7 Regional Director Ariel Florendo and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Regional Director Jennifer Bertan~a pledged to bring these concerns to the attention of the central office, aiming to address the issues raised by the regional agencies.