PRESS RELEASE
DR. MARIO MARAZZI‐SANTIAGO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

March 17, 2018

AUTHORIZED STATEMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS ON THE DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT OF PUERTO RICO

Yesterday, the Supreme Court denied a motion calling for the resumption of the work of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico. The decision of the Supreme Court confirms that the Institute can continue to carry out its work and functions, while the Court of Appeals hears the matter. It seems to us that this is a prudent decision in the face of the enormous fiscal and credibility challenges that Puerto Rico is facing.

The Institute's Board of Directors had been unable to meet for 7 months. It was able to meet this week after the judgment handed down by the Court of First Instance, in favor of the lawsuit filed by the Institute.

The restart of the work of the Institute's Board of Directors allows us to resume our quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial functions to guide a public policy of transparency and high-quality statistical processes.

##

Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes (787) 688-0401

‍

Portal of the Institute of Statistics has a new home: www.estadisticas.pr

‍

PRESS RELEASE
DR. MARIO MARAZZI‐SANTIAGO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

April 3, 2018

AUTHORIZED STATEMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATISTICAL INSTITUTE REGARDING APPROVAL OF REORGANIZATION PLAN #7

Last night, the Senate approved Reorganization Plan #7 to reorganize the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, merging into it several government entities, including the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

We agree that several statistical divisions from different entities can be consolidated to achieve cost-efficiencies, and the Institute is ready to assume those functions under the right circumstances. In fact, we are under the orders of the Governor and the Legislative Assembly to develop a Plan for the Reorganization of the Statistics System that consolidates these functions into an independent institution.

However, the aforementioned Reorganization Plan #7 also proposes to eliminate all the Institute's independent governance structures and transfer them to the Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Trade, and then “outsource” the statistical functions. This is not the way to solve problems with Puerto Rico's statistics.

Thousands of people, 16 members of Congress, the Private Sector Coalition, the Transparency Network, the American Statistical Association and even the Fiscal Oversight Board have recommended that the Institute remain an independent entity of the Government of Puerto Rico, free from political intervention. We urge the Legislative Assembly to carefully weigh the bills. We are once again at your disposal.

##

Press Contact: Sandra Morales Blanes (787) 688-0401

‍