𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗰 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗮 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗦𝗔-𝗔𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆

Neither the scorching heat nor the remoteness of the aquafarm sites could deter Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), from joining the data collectors of the PSA Aklan Provincial Statistical Office in the conduct of the nationwide Updating of the Listing of Aquafarms (ULAF), which officially kicked off on June 29, 2026.

Usec. Mapa visited selected aquaculture farms in the municipalities of New Washington and Batan, two of the municipalities in Aklan with the highest number of aquafarms, to personally experience the data collection process and identify gaps that need to be addressed in formulating interventions to further improve the implementation of the activity.

During the field visits, Usec. Mapa interviewed several aquafarm owners and caretakers to gain firsthand insights into their aquaculture operations. He also held a dialogue with the data collectors to gather their observations and recommendations, which will help further enhance the data collection system and ensure the generation of quality statistics.

Among the information gathered during the updating activity were the operational characteristics of the identified aquafarms, including the culture system, management system, species cultured, water environment, and farm area. These data serve as essential inputs in the continuous development and updating of the PSA’s statistical sampling frame, which is used in the conduct of the quarterly aquaculture surveys under the fisheries statistics sector.

Usec. Mapa’s field participation underscores the PSA’s commitment to ensuring the quality and accuracy of the data collected, which serve as the foundation for producing reliable and timely aquaculture statistics every quarter.

His field engagement also ensured that data collection standards and protocols were properly observed while enabling the identification of operational issues requiring immediate attention during field operations.

During a meeting with PSA Aklan personnel, Usec. Mapa emphasized the importance of accuracy, timeliness, and data quality at every stage of the data collection process. He reminded field personnel to remain diligent in conducting validation checks to ensure that the information gathered by the hired data collectors is complete, consistent, and reliable.

A total of 35 data collectors have been hired by the PSA Aklan Provincial Statistical Office to conduct the ULAF across various barangays in the province, covering about 4,287 aquafarms.

The nationwide enumeration will run from June 29 to August 7, 2026.

The PSA encourages all aquafarm owners and respondents to extend their full cooperation by providing truthful and accurate information to the authorized data collectors.

The PSA likewise assures the public that all information collected will be kept strictly confidential and used solely for statistical purposes, in accordance with existing laws governing data privacy and confidentiality.

#PSA #PSAAklan #2026ULAF