The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA 7) joins in the regional workshop for the Localization of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) CY 2017-2022 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Region 7. The two-day workshop was a joint effort conducted by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG 7), National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA 7) and PSA 7. The activity was conducted at Hotel Elizabeth, Cebu City on 18-19 December 2018.

The workshop aims to formulate provincial results matrices (RMs) reflective and/or consistent with the targeted outcomes and results matrices of the Regional Development Plan (RDP) and the PDP and in consideration of the SDGs to ensure vertical linkage of national, regional and local priorities and budgeting of plans, programs and activities (PPAs) that would contribute to the achievement of the RM targets aligned at the various levels. A series of workshops will be conducted in the province in January 2019.

NEDA 7 Regional Director Efren B. Carreon welcomes the participants of the workshop and he made mention of the latest development and progress of region 7 i.e. the completion of the Panglao International Airport located in the province of Bohol and the slower pace of the inflation rate of Central Visayas. Engr. Ariel E. Florendo, PSA 7 Regional Director, also gave a message to the participants that even how busy they were they still managed to be present in the workshop with the goal in mind that they are doing is for the improvement of the quality of life of every Filipino.

The regional workshop was participated by the DILG 7, NEDA 7, PSA 7 Regional and Provincial representatives, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinators (PPDCs), and the City Planning and Development Coordinators (CPDCs). The PSA 7 sent six representatives who were coming from the four provinces of the region including two from the Statistical Operation and Coordination Division (SOCD) to ensure availability of personnel who will provide guidance during the provincial workshops to be conducted in their respective provinces.

The PSA 7 representatives were as follows: CSS Leopoldo P. Alfanta, Jr. and SrSS Felixberto M. Sato, Jr. (SOCD); CSS Ariel T. Fortuito (Negros Oriental); SS II Fidel Antopina (Bohol), SS II Kathy Timosa (Cebu); and SS II Jill Bernadette Abing (Siquijor).

During the workshop, the PSA provide guidance in the determination of applicable indicators in the RMs for inclusion in the provincial RM and identification of Co-Re IS and other applicable indicators that are aligned with the  PDP/RDP chapters/outcomes and SDGs.

CSS Alfanta discussed about the efforts on the Localization of the SDG indicators monitoring, highlighting the indicators with provincial disaggregation as well as the Co-Re IS. Likewise, SrSS Sato discussed intensively the sixty-four SDG indicators with provincial disaggregation and the guideline in mapping SDG indicators to the RDP RMs of region 7. He emphasized that in identifying indicators it should have a readily available provincial data and if possible, data source of the indicators will be coming from the official data source.