‘A Data A Day’ could help
keep the crooks away…

MASTER OUR DATA, master our story as a people.

This is the spirit behind MoneyPolitics.PCIJ.org, a citizen’s online resource, research, and analysis tool on elections, public funds, and governance in the Philippines.

A project of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, MoneyPolitics enrolls over three gigabytes (of the 57 GB now in the PCIJ Library) of unique files on the asset records, career history, and social networks of elective and appointive officials; public finance records (budget, pork barrel, etc), and election and socio-economic statistics for the provinces, towns, and cities of the Philippines.

You better not miss it: With a few more nips and tucks, MoneyPolitics will go online in a while.

But first, we introduce you to bite sizes of information that we could discern from the big data that MoneyPolitics offers — A Data A Day.

In gist, the meaning of the numbers.

A Data A Day is possibly good for body, mind, and soul.

A Data A Day could help grow better informed and thus, more empowered, citizens.

A Data A Day promotes our right to know and to access documents in the custody of public agencies.

Most important of all — we hope and pray — because voters would know better than politicians, A Data A Day could help keep the crooks away.

Here’s today’s A Data A Day (BY THE NUMBERS):

53

Fifty-three is the mean age of the candidates running for senator in the May 13, 2013 elections.

Who are the youngest and oldest?

The youngest are Greco B. Belgica of the Democratic Party of the Philippines, who will turn 35 years old, and Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ A. Aquino IV, who will be 36 before the day of the vote.

Samson S. Alcantara of the Social Justice Society and Ernesto M. Maceda of the United Nationalist Alliance, are the oldest. Both are 77 years old.

The average age of the 23 incumbent senators, meanwhile, is 59. But re-electionist senators Antonio F. Trillanes IV (41) and Alan Peter S. Cayetano (42) are the youngest. They are the only two of the 23 senators who were born in the 1970s.

Senators Joker P. Arroyo (86) and Juan Ponce Enrile (89) are the oldest. They are also the only two born in the 1920s. — Reference: 2013 senatorial candidates’ Certificates of Candidacy, Commission on Elections

And another…

11

Only 11 of the 33 candidates for senator in the May 2013 elections were born outside Metro Manila.

They are Samson S. Alcantara of Abra, Teodoro ‘Teddy’ A. Casino of Davao City, Baldomero C. Falcone of Leyte, Richard ‘Dick’ J. Gordon of Zambales, Gregorio ‘Gringo’ B. Honasan II of Benguet, Marwil N. Llasos of Albay, Ernesto ‘Ernie’ M. Maceda of Laguna, Ramon E. Montaño of Cebu City, Aquilino Martin ‘Koko’ L. Pimentel III of Misamis Oriental, Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares of Iloilo, and Eduardo ‘Eddie’ C. Villanueva of Bocaue, Bulacan.

The remaining 23 were all born in Metro Manila, according to the Certificates of Candidacy they filed with the Commission on Elections.

Less than half or 10 of the 23 incumbent senators were born outside Metro Manila.

They are Senators Edgardo J. Angara of Aurora, Joker P. Arroyo of Naga, Franklin M. Drilon of Iloilo, Juan Ponce Enrile of Cagayan, Gregorio B. Honasan II of Baguio, Panfilo M. Lacson of Cavite, Manuel M. Lapid of Pampanga, Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III of Cagayan de Oro City, and Miriam D. Santiago of Iloilo. Senator Pilar Juliana S. Cayetano was born in Michigan, USA.