Puerto Rico Statistics Institute participates in the hearing of the Natural Resources Committee of the United States House of Representatives

Washington, DC — June 21, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) participated in the hearing of the Subcommittee on Indigenous and Insular Affairs of the Committee on Natural Resources of the United States House of Representatives. During the hearing, entitled Examining the findings of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to address data breaches and improve data collection in the territories, the importance of having high-quality statistics for effective democratic governance and the appropriate allocation of government resources was emphasized.

The representative of the Institute at these hearings, Mr. Jacobo Orenstein Cardona, said that the Institute supports the recent GAO report, which recommends “that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ensure that your Chief Statistician develops a coordinated approach at the government level so that federal statistical agencies, in consultation with U.S. territories and other stakeholders, examine the costs, benefits and feasibility of including territories in statistical products and, as appropriate, identify ways to address any data gaps.”

During his presentation, Orenstein-Cardona, who is also the Institute's executive assistant, emphasized that “high-quality statistics are fundamental to a functional democracy because they provide a factual basis for making informed decisions. In a democratic society, the ability of citizens to make educated decisions about their governance and policies is paramount.”

Among other issues, Orenstein-Cardona emphasized that “high-quality statistics help in the allocation of government resources, since they indicate where more investment is needed, whether in education, health, infrastructure or other areas. They also promote a culture of responsibility, where public officials are responsible for their decisions and the results obtained.”

Orenstein-Cardona concluded his presentation by mentioning that, “through collaboration with federal and local governments, the Institute can serve as an intermediary and contribute significantly to the inclusion of Puerto Rico in federal statistical products. This will allow for comparability with other jurisdictions in the United States and will improve the reliability of statistics for the benefit of the entire population of Puerto Rico.”

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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PRESS RELEASE
DR. MARIO MARAZZI-SANTIAGO
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

AUTHORIZED STATEMENTS BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS REGARDING THE FINAL APPROVAL OF P. C. 1403 BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF PUERTO RICO

Last night, the Legislative Assembly agreed on the Conference Committee and approved the House Project 1403 after deleting Chapter XII related to the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

We thank and congratulate both the House and the Senate for having completed the approval of the reorganization of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, after having accepted our recommendation as well as the request of thousands of individuals and scientists, 47 world-renowned scientific organizations, 16 congressmen, the Puerto Rican National Agenda, the Private Sector Coalition, the Transparency Network, the Network of Foundations, the Academy for the Advancement of the Sciences, the American Statistical Association, the Royal Statistical Society, among many others, who publicly called for the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics to remain an autonomous entity of the Government of Puerto Rico.

We reiterate our best willingness to hold an open dialogue regarding the future of the Institute of Statistics, its role within the Government of Puerto Rico and our society, so that we are allowed to continue working to ensure that the systems for collecting data and statistics, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable and accessible quickly and universally.

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

Press Release

Exhortation to the deaf community and their families to complete registration to strengthen the information available on this population in Puerto Rico

 San Juan, Puerto Rico — March 18, 2026. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), in collaboration with the Deaf Community Liaison Office and several agencies of the Government of Puerto Rico, urged deaf people, people with partial hearing loss, deafblind people and their families to participate in an online registry that will allow the collection of key information about this population in Puerto Rico.

The initiative is developed in accordance with Executive Order OE-2026-002, issued by the governor of Puerto Rico, Jennifer A. González Colón, which instructs the Institute of Statistics, in collaboration with the Department of Health, the University of Puerto Rico, the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, the Deaf Community Liaison Office and other entities, to carry out a formal effort to collect information about the deaf community in Puerto Rico and its characteristics, including the communication methods used.

As explained by the executive director of the Institute, Dr. Orville M. Disdier, community participation is essential for reliable information to guide public decision-making and the development of initiatives aimed at this population. “Having reliable information is essential to be able to develop public policies and services that respond to the real needs of the community. That's why we invite deaf people, those with hearing loss and their families to participate in this registry. Their participation will strengthen knowledge about this population and support informed decisions for the benefit of the deaf community in Puerto Rico,” said Disdier.

It takes three to five minutes to complete the registration. Participation is encouraged to:

• Deaf people
• People with partial (mild to moderately severe) hearing loss
• Deafblind people
• Families and caregivers who support people with these conditions

Interested persons can complete the registration at the following link: surveymonkey.com/r/deafspr

Information and guidance

Individuals or organizations interested in receiving guidance or collaborating in the dissemination of this information can contact:

Deaf Community Liaison Office (OECS)
Phone: 787-725-2333 ext. 203
VRS: 787-773-1487
Email: oecs@dpi.pr.gov
Website: www.dpi.pr.gov

Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics
Telephone: 787-819-0730
Email: preguntas@estadisticas.pr

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