Top (From left to right) – Mr. Lindsley Jeremiah Villarante of the DOH, PSA OIC-DNS Clemente S. Manaog, DOH Undersecretary Kenneth G. Ronquillo, and PSA OIC-DNS Minerva Eloisa P. Esquivias delivering their messages. Bottom (From left to right) – Mr. Villarante (DOH), Director Frances Rose Elgo-Mamaril (DOH), Director Gloria Nenita V. Velasco (DOH), Mr. Valerie Gilbert Ulep (PIDS), and Ms. Miharu Kimwell of the PCED during the opening forum.

02 October 2023 – THE MANILA HOTEL. Spearheaded by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the 34th National Statistics Month (NSM) kicked off with the Opening Ceremony hosted by the Department of Health (DOH) on 02 October 2023. It was attended by 197 participants from various government agencies, private sector, media, development partners, and members of the academe.

The celebration of the 34th NSM this October 2023 carries the theme "Accelerating Progress: Promoting Data and Statistics for Healthy Philippines" which emphasizes the importance of data and statistics in enhancing health outcomes and speeding up the resolution of health system issues and challenges.

Mr. Lindsley Jeremiah Villarante of the DOH welcomed the participants to the 34th NSM Opening Ceremony. In his message, he highlighted the critical role that statistics play in the field of public health towards the improvement of the present state of our health system.

PSA OIC-Deputy National Statistician (DNS) Clemente S. Manaog delivered the message from the 34th NSM Steering Committee Chair, Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa. He emphasized the importance of efficient generation of health and health-related statistics as policymakers and planners rely heavily on data and statistics in the formulation of health policies and programs.

DOH Undersecretary Kenneth G. Ronquillo delivered the keynote message from DOH Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa which underscored the DOH’s initiatives leading to a more equitable access to health services.

Highlights of the Opening Ceremony included the presentations on 1) Health Sector 8-Point Action Agenda – the Health Sector’s Medium-Term Strategy from 2023 to 2028 which aims to place every Filipino at the center of healthcare reforms, emphasizes community involvement in health promotion, and recognizes the vital role of healthcare workers in our health sector, and 2) Health Sector Statistical Development Plan which covers the institutionalization of a health statistical program to consolidate health statistics-related efforts, streamline processes and systems, and technically redesign the health statistical system for a more responsive and evidence informed decision-making and action. This was complemented with the reactions from stakeholders from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and the Philippine Center for Economic Development, respectively.

Another highlight was the announcement of winners of the 34th NSM Media Awards. The NSM media awards system recognizes television and radio programs and reporters from print and online news services who have made significant contributions in promoting and popularizing statistical information.

The 34th NSM Media Awards winners are Cai U. Ordinario of BusinessMirror, Ted Cordero of GMA News Online, Frontline Pilipinas/Tonight (News5), and Michael Joe T. Delizo of ABS-CBN News.

The 34th NSM Opening Ceremony was formally closed by OIC-DNS Minerva Eloisa P. Esquivias who thanked the speakers, guests, participants, and the partner agencies, particularly the DOH, for making the ceremony a success.  She also invited the participants to support the various NSM activities and join the PSS for the 34th NSM Closing Ceremony to be hosted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on 27 October 2023. 

The 6th PSA Says, a game patterned after “Family Feud” game show was held after the NSM Opening Ceremony. It was participated in by four teams from the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Health, and University of the Philippines School of Statistics.

In this month-long celebration, the Philippine Statistical System invites all government agencies, local government units, academic institutions, state universities and colleges, private sector, and the media to actively participate and support the 34th NSM activities.

For more information/updates on the 34th NSM, kindly visit the following pages:

• NSM webpage - https://psa.gov.ph/nsm/
• NSM FB page - https://www.facebook.com/NSMPhilippines
• NSM twitter page - https://twitter.com/NSMPhilippines

- Standards Service, Censuses and Technical Coordination Office