Blog 3

        On the third week of my immersion (May 15-19), I understand how the manual way of computing the palay and corn stocks. I ask Mr. Stephen Araña why he has to compute it manually when the PCCS program can calculate it automatically. According to him, he needs to do this to check whether the result of the PCCS computation tallies with his. If there are discrepancies, he will know that there erroneous entries.

         

        I also learn how to generate the file containing the palay and stocks for Iloilo Province using the PCCS Program. After which the reports are send to the central office using the internet.

        

        I understand that the updates on production and harvest area forecasts of palay and corn are generated from the Monthly Palay and Corn Situation Reporting System (MPCSRS). It is a monitoring activity conducted monthly in-between Palay and Corn Production Survey (PCPS) rounds. Monitorings are conducted in February, March, May, June, August, September and November. MPCSRS updates the quarterly forecasts on production and area for the current quarter based on the PCPS results of the previous survey round. The data generated from MPCSRS are as follows: 1) Updates on current quarter’s production and area forecasts based on the standing crop with indications on crop situation; and 2) Updates on current quarter’s forecast on planting intentions based on actual plantings.

        

        Also in this week’s immersion I come up with the following observations:

•        There current data collection may be prone to errors because data collected from the area written in the survey form. The encoder may commit mistakes in encoding the actual values which will affect the results later on.
•      The encoding of stocks for palay and corn is quite taxing on the part of the encoder because there are so many survey forms.
•      The released of the Monthly Palay and Corn Stocks of the central office may be affected when the PSA provincial office failed to email their results.

        Also in this week, I started working with my paper which is prediction of palay yield using Regression technique.

Blog 2

        On May 8 and 9, 2017, my task is about collecting the survey forms from the different identified sample Barangays in the province of Iloilo. All the survey forms are consolidated and later on to be entered in the PCSS (Palay and Corn Stock Survey) Program. 

        Below is a sample survey form of Brgy. Madong, Janiuay, Iloilo.

      On May 10, 2017, I observed Mr. Stephen Araňa how he entered the data in the PCCS Program. He also explained to me the different features of the Program. After I familiarized it, I started entering some of the data on May 11 and 12.

      For a certain barangay, sometimes the total stocks in the program do not match in the survey form, so I have given also the opportunity of finding and correcting the error. The errors committed are during the entering of incorrect data in the PCSS program.

Below is the main page of the PCSS Program.

        This is the actual interface where I enter the Palay and Corn data. It's relatively easy because the input fields are properly labeled.

Blog 1

       

       I apply my immersion at PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) Iloilo Provincial Office on April 24, 2017. I was entertained by Engr. Jerry Dolutan, the Assistant Statistics Officer in that office.  He introduced me to Mrs. Nelida Amolar, the Provincial Statistics Officer. Mrs. Amolar asked me about the purpose of my immersion and after explaining the nature of my immersion and what I want to achieved, she approved my application. She advised me that I have to start on May 2, 2017.

        

       On May 2, 2017 at 8:00 a.m. I reported for duty. As I enter the office, I saw Engr. Dolutan and approached him. He told me that there is an on-going training in Geo- tagging of Building Structures in the office and advised me to attend.

       

       The training was very informative and fruitful. I learned about the role of PSA in data collection, the overview of geo- tagging the building, the classification of buildings, the flow of geo- tagging and devices and software needed to perform geo-tagging. The PSA and its personnel are very accommodating. They even offered breakfast, snacks and lunch.

The picture was taken on May 2, 2017 during the seminar 

on geo-tagging of building structures.

I am taking down notes during the seminar.

         One of the information provided by the PSA Provincial Office is the monthly palay and corn production. In order to accomplish this, PSA administers three different surveys. The PCCS 1(Palay and Corn Survey), which is to gather first hand data from the farmers. The PCCS 2, which data comes from the rice and corn warehouse of private individuals and PCCS 3 from the NFA (National Food Authority) warehouse. The three different surveys will be consolidated and forms part the estimated rice and corn production within the month. The data of the three surveys are entered in an application program. The program can generate different statistical reports and send to the PSA central office.

        The survey questionnaire contains the same entries which are the current status of palay and corn production.

        On May 3, 2017, Mrs. Nelida Amolar advised me to accompany Mr. Stephen Araña, a Statistics Specialist II to observe how the PCCS 1 is administered. PSA has identified barangays in the province of Iloilo and being monitored by different Statistics Specialist. In the case of Mr. Araña, he is assigned in Guimbal and Tubungan. On this day we went to Brgy. Camanggahan, Guimbal, Iloilo. This barangays has seven (7) identified respondents. The respondents are chosen by the PSA central office using a stratified sampling. We depart from PSA office at 8:00 a.m. using the agency service vehicle. It took us 45 minutes to reach the destination barangay. The survey is done through an informal interview. Mr. Araña asked the farmer with questions and writes the answers in the survey form. Mr. Araña finished the survey at 11:30 a.m. We have our lunch at Oton, Iloilo and head back to the office. The same set of questions are asked to the farmers every visit. The PCCS 1 survey is done every first week of the Month. The consolidation of data happens in the second week of the Month when all of the results of the surveys are submitted

Mr. Stephen Araña is explaining the question items in the survey form.

I am taking down notes on the procedure of gathering data from one of the identified

respondent farmer of Brgy. Camanggahan, Guimbal, Iloilo.

A sample of the survey form of one of the respondents.