Page 20 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 3

STS513 Jessa S. L. et al.

Expanding the Philippine Indicator System for
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
monitoring through research
Jessa S. Lopez, Millete R. Santos
Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI), Quezon City, Philippines

Abstract
The current indicator system for monitoring the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) in the Philippines includes 155 indicators spread over 17 goals
and monitoring 97 targets. Of the current indicators, 102 are in accordance
with the United Nations (UN) standards, 28 are proxy indicators and 25 are
supplemental. The data needed to operationalize the 155 indicators are
regularly produced by institutions comprising the country’s statistical system.
In 2017, the Philippines, through the Philippine Statistical Research and
Training Institute (PSRTI), the research and training arm of the Philippine
Statistical System (PSS), engaged the services of some retired government
statisticians to conduct researches with the objective of further expanding the
existing indictor system for SDG monitoring. These personnel were taken in as
researchers by the PSRTI mainly because of their familiarity of the country’s
data system and vast experience in developing and updating various indicator
systems maintained by the statistical system. As the researchers of PSRTI, the
main focus of their studies was on SDG indicators currently under Tiers 2 and
3 classifications. Based on the results of the studies, additional indicators were
identified for possible inclusion in the current indicator system for SDG
monitoring.
The paper will highlight the findings of these recent researches conducted by
the PSS to expand its SDG indicator system, the role of PSRTI in the conduct
of these researches, the list of indicators proposed for inclusion in the current
indicator system as a result of the researches, and the distribution and
classification of proposed indicators by goals and targets monitored.

Keywords
SDG Indicators, Philippines Statistical System (PSS), PSRTI

1. Introduction
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Board through its Resolution No. 4
Series of 2016 enjoins national government agencies (NGAs) to provide data
support to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Resolution also
states that the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute (PSRTI), the
research and training arm of the Philippine Statistical System (PSS), shall
undertake capacity building activities to help PSA and other agencies generate

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