Socio-Economic Development Planning Secretary Felipe Medalla and Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) recently sworn into office the newly appointed directors and regional directors of the National Statistics Office (NSO) in simple rites held at NEDA-Pasig. The oath-taking ceremony was witnessed by NSO Administrator Tomas Africa. Also present during the occasion were other NSO officials and employees and relatives of the appointees.

Valentino Abuan is the newly appointed director for Information Resources Department, NSO-Central Office (CO). Abuan is also concurrently the acting Deputy Administrator. Also for the NSO-CO, Carlito Lalicon and Paula Monina Collado were sworn in as directors for Civil Registry Department and Household Statistics Departments, respectively.

Likewise, 12 former regional administrators of NSO-Regional Offices who are now full-pledge directors also took their oath of office with DG Medalla. They are Alfredo Batoy (Region 1), Edmundo Udarbe (Region 2), Estela de Guzman (Region 3), Mariano Fontanilla (Region 5), Norman Julag-ay (Region 6),Lilia Tandoc (Region 7), Roosevelt Itum (Region 9), Salvador Aves (Region 10), Virgilio Fusilero (Region 11), Roberto Flores (Region 12), Commando Pilimpinas (ARMM) and Miguel Dimalnat (CAR).

The appointment of NSO directors was in pursuance with the provision of Executive Order No. 5 signed by President Joseph Ejercito-Estrada on 29 July 1998. EO 5 called for the strengthening of the NSO as deemed necessary in view of the growing demand for quality statistical products and services for planning, policy formulation and day-to-day decision making, particularly at the local level. The delegation of more substantive and administrative functions to the field offices has transformed it to go beyond being mere data collection arms to statistics producing and civil registration units.

Pictures from the oath-taking ceremony

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