The National Statistics Office (NSO), the authority on general-purpose statistics, announces that the 2005 Philippine Yearbook is now available.

The Philippine Yearbook (PY) is an annual publication of the NSO and contains backgrounder on the country’s history, geography, demography and government. It also presents analyses of the latest available statistical information generated by the NSO and other government agencies. As such, it has been a trusted reference material by government planners and policy makers, the academe and the business people.

The 2005 edition has 24 chapters and close to 500 tables and figures on a variety of topics to include, among others, health and education; science and technology; agriculture and fisheries; transportation and communications; labor, income and employment; population and housing; domestic and foreign trade; banking and finance; national accounts; and other economic indicators. Comparative international statistics has likewise been included for benchmarking purposes. The volume also looks into government policies and programs, and the future directions in government planning.

A Special Feature of the publication is a summary of the 2004 - 2010 Medium Term Philippine Development Plan, the blueprint of all government activities.

The information-packed reference material is available both in book form and in CD-ROM. Interested parties are requested to contact the Databank and Information Services Division at telephone numbers (02) 713-7081/714-1715, visit any NSO Regional or Provincial Offices nationwide or log on at http://www.census.gov.ph for further inquiries and placement of orders.#