Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
Third Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 9027

Introduced by Representativefernando V. Gonzalez

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It isthe policy of the state to promote efficient and effective delivery
of statistical services, civil registration functions and deployment of a resilient
Philippine Identification System (PhilSys). The State further recognizes
statistical services, civil registration and the PhilSys as essential elements for
the attainment of Sustained national development and progress.

This act shall cover all statistical and registration workers in the public
sector, and to the extent provided under this Act, those in the private sector.

A career system for statistical and registration workers in the government
service shall be formulated by the PSA in coordination with the Civil Service
Commission (CSC). A new salary scale shall be developed by the PSA in
consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and CSC,
subject to the approval of the President of the Philippines.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
Seventeenth Congress
Third Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, 9927

Introduced by Representative Fernando V. Gonzalez

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A MAGNA CARTA FOR STATISTICAL AND
REGISTRATION WORKERS

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Magna Carta
for Statistical and Registration Workers.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is the policy of the State to promote
the efficient and effective delivery of statistical services, civil registration
functions and the deployment of a resilient Philippine Identification System
(PhilSys). The State further recognizes statistical services, civil registration and
the PhilSys as essential elements for the attainment of sustained national
development and progress. Towards this end, the State shall provide for a
program of human resource development in the statistical, civil registration, and
the PhilSys sectors to achieve and maintain the necessary reservoir of talent and
manpower that will sustain its drive for accessible, affordable and sustainable
statistical, civil registration, and PhilSys services in various parts and sectors of

the society.


SEC. 3. Scope of Application. — This Act shall cover all statistical and
registration workers in the public sector, and to the extent provided under this
Act, those in the private sector.

For purposes of this Act, “statistical and registration workers” include the
following:

a) Statistical workers — refer to all officials and personnel of the PSA
who are directly responsible for the planning, formulation, processing,
execution, monitoring and evaluation of statistical programs, activities and
projects including the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute
(PSRTD;

b) Civil registration workers — refer to all officials and personnel of
the PSA, and the Local Civil Registrars and their respective staff who are
directly responsible for the planning, formulation, processing, execution,
monitoring and evaluation of civil registration and vital statistics programs,
activities and projects and as defined in applicable laws, rules and regulations;

c) Local Statistics Office workers — refer to the officials and personnel
of the Local Statistics Office duly established by the PSA to replace the Office
of the Civil Local Registrars in each of the cities and municipalities or clusters
thereof to discharge functions related to statistics, civil registration, and PhilSys
as the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General may determine;

d) Philippine Statistics Attaché workers — refer to the officials and

personnel of the Philippine Statistics Attaché duly established under the PSA in


each of the Philippine Embassy or Consular Office or clusters thereof to
discharge functions related to statistics, civil registration and vital statistics, and
PhilSys as the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General (NSCRG) may
determine;

e) PhilSys workers — refer to all officials and personnel of the PSA
and other government agencies who are directly responsible for the planning,
formulation, processing, execution, monitoring and evaluation of PhilSys
programs, activities and projects and as defined in applicable laws, rules and
regulations; and

f) Associate workers — refer to outsourced workers hired by service
providers duly organized pursuant to existing laws including faculty members
of State universities and colleges (SUCs), and local universities and colleges
(LUCs) whose primary duties are to assist the other statistical and registration
workers enumerated under this section.

SEC. 4. Public Statistical and Registration Workers Career System. — A
career system for statistical and registration workers in the government service
shall be formulated by the PSA in coordination with the Civil Service
Commission (CSC).

SEC. 5. Classification of Statistical and Registration Workers. —
Statistical and registration workers are classified in the following categories:

a) Managers, supervisors, policy-makers, and planners - Those who

are graduate degree holders or have at least two (2) years of managerial and


supervisory experience or are performing executive, managerial, legal,
planning, internal audit, administrative, human resource, finance, procurement,
and policy-making functions to effectively carry out the statistical, civil
registration and PhilSys (SCRIPS) programs, activities and projects;

b) Members of the statistical and registration career system;

c) Researchers — Those who are at least undergraduate or bachelor’s
degree holders in any of the statistics, research, information and communication
technology (ICT), engineering, law, public administration, economics, social
sciences, psychology, humanities, education, management and such allied fields
and are involved in the conduct of data generation or gathering, processing and
SCRIPS programs, activities and projects including those engaged in research
and development on statistical, civil registration and vital statistics, and the
PhilSys; and

d) Technicians, enumerators, associates and related statistical, civil
registration and PhilSys workers — Those who obtained at least twelve (12) units
in statistics, research, ICT, engineering, law, public administration economics,
social sciences, psychology, humanities, education, management and such allied
fields and allied courses or any appropriate training as determined by the
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General and are providing
administrative and support services to statistical and registration workers

enumerated in the three (3) preceding sub-sections.


For purposes of this Act, “statistical, civil registration and PhilSys
(SCRIPS) programs, activities and projects” refer to all systematic programs,
activities and projects which are closely concerned with the generation or
gathering, processing, presentation and dissemination of statistical data and
results, processing and delivery of civil registration documents, vital statistics,
and the processing of issuance and renewal of identification cards of every
Filipino citizen pursuant to existing laws, and all undertakings that are
necessary for the proper, effective and efficient implementation of the
Philippine Statistical Development Program formulated by the PSA Board, the
Philippine Identification System Program formulated by the PhilSys Policy and
Coordination Council, and the Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
Program formulated by the PSA, and duly approved by the President of the
Philippines.

SEC. 6. Salaries. — The existing law on salary scales of government
employees shall not apply in determining the salary scale of statistical and
registration workers. A new salary scale shall be developed by the PSA in
consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and CSC,
subject to the approval of the President of the Philippines.

SEC. 7. Other Benefits. — Notwithstanding Section 12 of Republic Act
No. 6758, as amended, otherwise known as the “Compensation and Position
Classification Act of 1989,” statistical and registration workers shall be entitled

to the following:


a) Honorarium — Statistical and registration workers who render
services beyond the established regular workload and whose broad and superior
knowledge, expertise or professional standing in a specific field contributes to
productivity and innovativeness are entitled to receive honorarium subject to
tules to be set by the PSA.

The chairpersons, vice chairpersons, members and secretariat of governing
boards or technical committees of the PSA created by law and regulations such
as the PSA Board, Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute and
such committees duly created by the National Statistician and Civil Registrar
General under Republic Act No. 10625, otherwise known as the “Philippine
Statistical Act of 2013,” PhilSys Policy and Coordinating Council created under
Republic Act No. 11055, otherwise known as the “Philippine Identification
System Act,” Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Committees created
pursuant to existing laws, international treaty or United Nations conventions or
policies, and applicable laws, rules and regulations, are entitled to reasonable
honorarium as prescribed by the DBM, and reimbursement of actual expenses
incurred for their attendance during meetings, seminars, conferences and official
functions subject to usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations;

b) Share from proceeds of fees and charges from supervision and
regulation — Statistical and registration workers are entitled to receive their
share from the proceeds of fees and charges from supervision and regulation

subject to the guidelines promulgated by the Director General of the National


Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) upon the recommendation of
the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General.

At least five percent (5%) of the total collections from fees and charges
shall be retained and exclusively utilized to support the financial requirements
for the implementation of this Act for statistical and registration workers
involved in SCRIPS programs, activities and projects which has been produced
or undertaken during the regular performance of their functions.

For purposes of this Act, the collection shall refer to the sum charged and
collected from acknowledgments, applications, certifications, endorsements,
processing fees, violation fines or penalties and other reasonable payments in
connection with the enforcement of statistical, civil registration and PhilSys
laws and implementation of related programs, activities and projects thereof;

c) Hazard allowance — Statistical and registration workers involved in
hazardous undertakings or assigned in hazardous workplaces to conduct
periodic data gathering, censuses, surveys, processing of requests, inspection,
evaluation and monitoring of SCRIPS programs, activities, and projects are
entitled to hazard allowances ranging from ten percent (10%) to thirty percent
(30%) of their monthly basic salary depending on the nature and extent of the
hazard involved.

The following shall be considered hazardous workplaces:
(1) __ Radiation-exposed laboratories and service workshops;

(2) Remote or depressed areas;


(3) Areas declared under a state of calamity or emergency;

(4) Strife-torn or embattled areas;

(5) Laboratories and other disease-infested areas;

(6) Electrical machine and mechanical rooms;

(7) Pressure vessels and other steam generating facilities; and
(8) Areas, establishments or statistical, civil registration and

PhilSys and related facilities where statistical and registration workers are

directly or imminently exposed to hazardous vapors, products and toxic

fumes or substances.

d) Subsistence allowance — Statistical and registration workers are
entitled to full subsistence allowance equivalent to three (3) meals a day, which
may be computed and implemented in accordance with the criteria to be
provided in the implementing rules and regulations of this Act. Those assigned
out of their regular work stations shall be entitled to per diem in place of the
allowance;

e) Laundry allowance — Statistical and registration workers who are
required to wear a prescribed uniform during office hours are entitled to a
laundry allowance of not less than One hundred fifty pesos (P150.00) a month;

f) Housing and quarter allowance — Statistical and registration
workers who are on duty in laboratories, statistical, civil registration, and
PhilSys offices and research and development centers and other related

government facilities are entitled to free living quarters within the government


facility where they are stationed: Provided, That the statistical and registration
workers availing of the housing and quarter allowance have their residence
outside of the fifty (50)- kilometer radius from such government facility;

g) Longevity pay — A monthly longevity pay equivalent to five
percent (5%) of the monthly basic salary shall be paid to statistical and
registration workers for every five (5) years of continuous and meritorious
service as determined by the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General;

h) Medical examination — During the tenure of their employment,
statistical, civil registration, and PhilSys workers shall be given a compulsory
free medical examination once a year and immunization as the case may
warrant. The medical examination shall include:

qd) Complete physical examination;

(2) Routine laboratory, chest X-ray and electrocardiogram;

(3) Psychometric examination;

(4) Dental examination;

(5) Drug test; and

(6) Other indicated examination authorized by the National

Statistician and Civil Registrar General.

i) Family and home visit allowance — To further enhance the
recruitment process and mobility of statistical and registration workers, a
monthly family and home visit allowance shall be provided to them comprising

of free transportation during Saturdays and Sundays or holidays only:

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Provided, That the statistical and registration workers have their residence
outside of the fifty (50)- kilometer radius from their work assignment;

j) Incremental performance-based bonus — Statistical and registration
workers shall be provided at least twenty (20%) percent additional performance-
based bonus if the total annual agency accomplishment was surpassed by one
hundred (100%) percent during the period covered, as verified by the DBM;

k) Cost-cutting Measures and Systems Improvement Incentive — The
Cost-Cutting Measures and Systems Improvement Incentive shall be granted to
both the management and rank-and-file employees of PSA with approved and
successfully implemented agreement in recognition of their efforts in
accomplishing performance targets at lesser cost, in attaining more efficient and
viable operations through cost-cutting measures and systems improvement
subject to the pertinent issuances by the DBM: Provided, That for associate
workers, the Cost-Cutting Measures and Systems Improvement Incentive may
only be granted upon showing of the agency’s fiscal and financial viability;

i) Hardship allowance — Statistical and registration workers who
perform physical work in hazardous environments such as the data gathering,
censuses, surveys, conduct of inspections, evaluation and monitoring of
SCRIPS programs, activities and projects are entitled to hardship allowance of
Five hundred pesos (P500.00) per day;

m) Maternity leave — Subject to rules and regulations promulgated

jointly by the PSA and CSC, statistical and registration workers, shall be

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granted one hundred fifty (150) days maternity leave, with full pay based on
average weekly or regular wages, regardless if the delivery was normal or
caesarian. Subject to the approval by the National Statistician and Civil
Registrar General, an additional maternity leave of thirty (30) days, without pay,
can be availed of, at the option of the employee;

n) Annual Performance on Awards and Incentives for Service
Excellence (PRAISE) — Subject to applicable laws and CSC rules and
regulations, statistical and registration workers are entitled to annual PRAISE,
both monetary and non-monetary, subject to the implementing guidelines as the
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General may prescribe and duly
approved by the CSC;

0) Paalam-Salamat and send-off incentives — Subject to applicable
laws and CSC rules and regulations, each retiring statistical and registration
worker shall be entitled to Paalam-Salamat and send-off incentives in the
amount of not less than One hundred thousand pesos (P 100,000.00) per retiree,
regardless of position, subject to the implementing guidelines as the National
Statistician and Civil Registrar General may prescribe and duly approved by the
CSC; and

p) People’s transparency and freedom of information (PTFOI)
processing, ease of doing business and data privacy protection incentives —
Statistical and registration workers who are involved or assigned and

consistently obtain at least very satisfactory performance in the processing of

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related transactions and requests under the people’s transparency and freedom
of information regulations are entitled to PTFOI processing, ease of doing
business, and data privacy protection incentives as the National Statistician and
Civil Registrar General may prescribe and duly approved by the CSC.

The amounts of the benefits or incentives provided under this section shall
be indexed to the inflation as the National Statistician and Civil Registrar
General may determine and duly approved by the DBM.

SEC. 8. Non-PSA Personnel. — Statistical and registration workers not

employed by the PSA including outsourced personnel as provided under Section

3 of this Act who are involved in SCRIPS programs, activities and projects,
including the officials and faculty members of SUCs and LUCs under Section
10 of this Act, may avail of the benefits under this Act upon certification by the
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General.

SEC. 9. Scholarships and Grants. — Statistical and registration workers in
public and private sectors shall be entitled to avail of scholarship benefits and
grants pursuing undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate or training courses in
accordance with a scholarship program to be implemented by the PSA.
Grantees of the program may study within the Philippines or abroad provided
that the PSA shall provide strict measures to ensure their return to the country to
render the service obligation.

Recipients of undergraduate scholarships shall, after graduation, be

required to render service in the government for the equivalent number of years


that they availed of their scholarships. However, in cases where there are no
available positions in the government, they may be allowed to work in the
private sector.

Scholarship privileges may be on a full-time or part-time basis and shall
include tuition fee, book allowance, transportation allowance, monthly stipend,
dissertation grants, insurance and the payment of regular salary and other
benefits.

For this purpose, the Science and Technology Human Resource
Development Council created under Republic Act No. 7687, as amended,
otherwise known as the “Science and Technology Scholarship Act of 1994,”
shall formulate the rules and regulations to implement the scholarship program
provided in this Act.

SEC. 10. Related Degree Programs and Trainings in Higher Education
Institutions. — To further enhance the implementation of the policies under
Section 2 of this Act, offering of statistical, civil registration, and identification
system related degree programs shall be mandatory to SUCs with mandates and
curricular offerings or programs provided in their respective charters that
include, among others, statistics, safety and security, science and technology.
Other LUCs including private higher education institutions shall also be

encouraged to offer statistical, civil registration, and identification system

related degree programs.


The National Statistician and Civil Registrar General or a duly authorized
representative may be appointed as member of the governing boards of SUCs
and LUCs offering statistical, civil registration and vital statistics, and
identification system related programs to ensure that it shall be complementary
and contributory to the Philippine Statistical Development Program, Philippine
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Program and the Philippine Identification
System Program and related thrusts of the National Government.

SEC. 11. Honorarium for Other Services. — Statistical and registration
workers in the government shall be allowed to render consultancy services to
the private sector and shall be entitled to receive such honorarium that may be
paid to them by the private entity concerned. Such payments shall be over and
above their salary from the government during the period of the consultancy and
shall not be considered as double compensation: Provided, That the
consultancy work will not jeopardize or adversely affect the operations or
activities of the originating office or constitute conflict of interest of duties and
responsibilities therein: Provided, further, That the National Statistician and
Civil Registrar General approves of such consultancy service.

SEC. 12. Detail to the Private Sector and Industry Immersion. —
Notwithstanding the provisions of existing laws, statistical and registration
workers who are employed on a regular basis in the government, whether or not
they are conferred any rank under the Public Statistical and Registration

Workers Career System, shall hereby be allowed secondment to any private


entity whenever such services are required: Provided, That the duration of such
service with a private entity shall not exceed one (1) year: Provided, further,
That the detail or secondment of said personnel will not hamper or adversely
affect the operations or activities of the originating office or constitute conflict
of interest of duties and responsibilities therein: Provided, finally, That the
concerned head of the agency approves of such detail or secondment.

During the period of such secondment, payment of the seconded official or
employee shall be borne by the seconding private entity covered by a contract.
The period of secondment shall be used in computing the retirement benefits but
not for the commutation of leave credits earned. Such secondment shall not
likewise affect the security of tenure nor result in the loss of seniority rights
subject to guidelines on secondment in the implementing rules and regulations
of this Act.

SEC. 13. Exemption from the Attrition Law and Rule on Nepotism. —
Except for third level positions, appointment of statistical and registration
workers to positions equivalent to salary grade ten (SG 10) and above shall not
be covered by the Attrition Law and the CSC rule on nepotism in consideration
of the highly technical nature of these positions.

SEC. 14. Prohibition Against Double Benefits. — Statistical and
registration workers already receiving the same benefits under any other law

shall not be allowed to avail of the benefits under this Act unless they submit in


writing their intention not to avail of the benefits already being received and opt
for those provided under this Act.

SEC. 15. Highest Basic Salary Upon Retirement. — Upon retirement, the
statistical and registration workers concerned shall automatically be granted an
increase of one (1) position higher than the current position and the retirement
benefits shall be computed on the basis of the highest salary received.

Upon retirement, the statistical and registration workers concerned shall
also be granted retirement gratuity based on the total length of service,
converted into gratuity months, multiplied by the highest basic salary of the
higher position or rank provided above in accordance with the provisions of
Republic Act No. 1616, entitled “An Act Further Amending Section Twelve of
Commonwealth Act Numbered One Hundred Eighty-Six, as Amended, By
Prescribing Two Other Modes of Retirement and For Other Purposes.”

Existing retirement benefits shall continue to be applied should the same
be higher or more advantageous to the statistical and registration workers
concerned.

SEC. 16. Prohibition Against Diminution of Benefits. — Nothing in this
Act shall be construed to eliminate or in any way diminish benefits being
enjoyed by statistical and registration workers at the time of the effectivity of
this Act.

SEC. 17. Hiring of Retired Statistical and Registration Workers. — A

statistical and registration worker retired under any existing law, who, in the


judgment of the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General, possesses
managerial, legal, planning, human resource, administrative or technical
qualifications and the capability to undertake SCRIPS programs, activities, and
projects, may be rehired on contractual basis without refunding the unexpired
portion of the gratuity and accumulated leave benefits received by the retiree
from the government: Provided, That no qualified statistical and registration
worker is available to undertake said SCRIPS programs, activities and projects.

SEC. 18. Government Scholars and Training Grantees. — Graduates or
grantees of government statistical, civil registration and vital statistics, and
identification system scholarship programs or trainings shall be given temporary
waiver of CSC eligibilities for at least two (2) years and preferential access to
financial grants from any government agency authorized to extend grants and
loans with easy terms from government financing institutes, for statistical, civil
registration and vital statistics, and PhilSys projects which are viable and in line
with the development thrust of the country.

SEC. 19. Statistical, Civil Registration and Philippine Identification
System (SCRIPS) Awards. — There shall be established the Statistical, Civil
Registration and Philippine Identification System (SCRIPS) Awards Committee
which shall confer annually the SCRIPS Awards for outstanding achievement
and excellence or original contribution to innovation and continual
improvement of statistical, civil registration and PhilSys services and

technologies.


The Committee, to be constituted by the National Statistician and Civil
Registrar General within fifteen (15) days upon the effectivity of this Act, shall
promulgate the guidelines implementing this section and shall specify the
categories of awards to be given and the amount of financial reward for each
category. The chairperson, vice chairperson and members including the
technical staff of the Committee shall be entitled to honorarium provided under
the second paragraph of Section 7(a) of this Act.

SEC. 20. Congressional Oversight Committee. — There is hereby created
a Congressional Oversight Committee on Statistical, Civil Registration and
PhilSys to review and assess, among others, the state of the Philippine human
resources development in the statistical, civil registration, and PhilSys sector,
the state of computerization and information technology in the SCRIPS
programs, activities and projects, and the implementation of this Act.

The Committee shall be composed of five (5) Members of the House of
Representatives and five (5) Members of the Senate. It shall be co-chaired by
the Chairpersons of the Committees concerned of both Houses of Congress. The
Congressional review shall be undertaken at least once every two (2) years.

SEC. 21. Authority to Collect, Manage and Disburse Income. — To
supplement the implementation of this Act, the PSA is hereby authorized to
collect fees and charges on SCRIPS programs, activities and projects on behalf

of the government.


At least five percent (5%) of the total collections shall be retained and
deposited in trust accounts in authorized government depository banks to be
exclusively managed and disbursed by the PSA to support the implementation
of this Act subject to usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

SEC. 22. Sectoral and Field Offices; Administrative and Operational
Management of Local Civil Registrars. — To further enhance the efforts, and
ensure the proper and efficient implementation of statistical, civil registration
and vital statistics, and PhilSys and in the discharge of the mandates of the PSA
under relevant laws and in this Act, the National Statistician and Civil Registrar
General, shall be assisted by five (5) Deputy National Statisticians with
equivalent position or rank of Assistant Secretary of a Department: one (1)
Senior Deputy National Statistician, one (1) for finance and administration
services and regional operations, one (1) for civil registration, vital statistics
and PhilSys, one (1) for sectoral statistics, and one (1) for censuses and
technical coordination. Each Deputy National Statistician shall have at least two
(2) Assistant National Statisticians with an equivalent position or rank of a
Bureau Director.

The National Statistician and Civil Registrar General is hereby authorized
to create field offices comprised of regional, provincial and district or satellite
offices for every administrative regional, provincial or district subdivision, and

the Local Statistics Office in each city and municipality or clusters thereof with

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adequate manpower, facilities, equipment and resources necessary in carrying
out their respective mandates, regulatory authority, and duties.

The administrative and operational management, control and supervision
of Local Civil Registrars and their staff are hereby transferred from the LGUs to
the PSA which shall be absorbed by its Local Statistics Office duly established
in each city and municipality or clusters thereof as the National Statistician and
Civil Registrar General may prescribe.

The field offices shall be under the direct administrative supervision and
control of the Office of the National Statistician and Civil Registrar General or
any designated official of the PSA. Each regional office shall be headed by a
Regional Director with a position equivalent to a Director IV of a department
who shall be assisted by at least two (2) Assistant Regional Directors with a
position equivalent to a Director III of a department.

The provincial, district or satellite and Local Statistics Offices shall be
headed by a provincial, district or satellite, and Local Statistics Officer,
respectively, with a position equivalent to a Director I of a department and who
shall be assisted by at least two (2) assistant district or satellite directors with a
position equivalent to at least a division chief. They shall have adequate staff of
various administrative and technical divisions or units as the case may be, in
accordance with the organizational staffing patterns prescribed by the NSCRG,

duly approved by the Department of Budget and Management.

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Personnel who occupy third level positions, from division chief to Deputy
National Statistician and their equivalent, must be appointed by the President of
the Philippines to the appropriate Career Executive Service Officer rank in
accordance with the pertinent policies and regulations promulgated by the
Career Executive Service Board

SEC. 23. Hiring of Personnel in Field Offices. — The current officials and
employees of the PSA in its field offices and the Local Civil Registrars shall be
given priority in the hiring and filling-up of positions in various field offices
and local statistics offices created pursuant to this section.

Hiring, promotions and other personnel actions of the officials and
employees shall be subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations.

SEC. 24. Allocation for Lots and Buildings of Field Offices. — Local
chief executives concerned may allocate and donate adequate lots or areas for
the construction of buildings and structures, and sustained operations of the
PSA Field Offices in their respective municipality, city, provincial or regional
government centers, as the case may be.

Sufficient amounts for the procurement of buildings, structures, equipment,
facilities and materials and hiring of necessary personnel for the PSA field
offices and local statistics offices are included in the annual National
Expenditure Program (NEP) and General Appropriations Act (GAA) as separate

line item budget under the Capital Outlay of the PSA.

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SEC. 25. Research and Development. — The PSA shall, in consultation
with the stakeholders, formulate a short-term, medium-term and long- term
research and development program on statistical, civil registration and vital
statistics, and PhilSys complementary to the Philippine Statistical Development
Program, Philippine Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Program and the
Philippine Identification System Program, and local and national development
plans and thrusts.

SEC. 26. Funding. — The initial amount necessary to implement this Act
shall be sourced from the savings of PSA and from funds provided under the
budgetary appropriations of the PSA in the annual General Appropriations Act
of the year following its enactment into law subject to usual accounting and
auditing laws, rules and regulations. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the
continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.

SEC. 27. Annual Report. — The National Statistician and Civil Registrar
General shall submit to the Congressional Commission on Statistical, Civil
Registration and Philippine Identification an annual report on the status of
implementation of this Act.

SEC. 28. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — The National
Statistician and Civil Registrar General, NEDA Director General, Secretary of
Budget and Management, and the CSC, in consultation with other government

and nongovernment agencies involved in implementing SCRIPS programs,

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activities and projects, shall jointly formulate the implementing rules and
regulations to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 29. Separability Clause. — If any part or provision of this Act is
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining provisions or parts thereof
not affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 30. Repealing Clause. — Pertinent provisions of Act No. 3753, also
known as the “Law on Civil Registry Status,” Republic Act No. 7160, also
known as the “Local Government Code of 1991,” and Republic Act No. 10625,
also known as the “Philippine Statistical Act of 2013,” Republic Act No. 11055,
also known as the “Philippine Identification System Act,” and all other laws,
decrees, orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act are hereby amended or repealed accordingly.

SEC. 31. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its

publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,
FERNANDO ¥. GONZALEZ

Representative 3" District Albay

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