Numbers do not lie

Numbers have been used in the world for more than 5,000 years. They are used to count, measure and label.

One of the most popular expressions tell us that “numbers do not lie.” There have been a lot of debates on this topic. But someone once said that everyone who disputes the use of numbers will still look at the scoreboard, at the end of every game, to determine the winner and loser.

The United Nations uses numbers to set its millennium development goals. The GINX index is used to determine the ranking of countries in terms of income inequality. The quality of life, especially in the poorest countries, is measured in terms of numbers such as child mortality.

Businesses use numbers, such as return on investments, as a basis for management decisions. International organizations use an index to describe levels of corruption.

We all use numbers to remember the most important events in our life as we celebrate birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and the number of years we have lived in this world.

In his State of the Nation address, P-Noy used numbers to depict the progress of our country during his term. He also used video testimonials from the beneficiaries of the numbers he articulated to explain how those numbers benefited ordinary people.

It was a powerful show, and was probably his best SONA. There are naturally those who were quick to claim that the numbers do not mean anything. But these same people would have been the same ones to quote all the numbers if they were all bad. If the GDP growth had been low or the number of classrooms built were much less, then those numbers would be used by the detractors. Unfortunately for them, the numbers were impressive. P-Noy had the right to trumpet to the world to come and see how the Philippines has come such a long way in such a short time.

Here are examples of numbers, in the SONA, that any president can proudly claim as major victories.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), before the P-Noy era, had its biggest collection in 2008 at P778.6 billion. In 2012, the BIR collected P1.06 trillion, and this year will collect P1.5 trillion. All this without new taxes except for the Sin Tax reform. BIR Commissioner Kim Henares deserved the applause she received.

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or Conditional Cash Transfer is easily another major achievement in this administration. It provides financial assistance to families on the condition that they will keep their children in school.

In 2010, there were 786,523 households covered by the program. Now more than 4.4 million households are benefiting from the program. Part of the first batch of beneficiaries were the 333,673 that just graduated from high school. In 2008, there were 2.9 million out-of-school children in the country. By 2013, there were only 1.2 million out-of-school children.

Education is the most important factor in a nation’s development and in the effort to reduce poverty. The K to 12 program will be one of the greatest legacies of P-Noy to future generations. It is hard to imagine how even teachers can oppose this basic educational reform. The Philippines is only one of three countries left in the world with only ten years of basic education. Surely a teacher who considers teaching as a calling and not just a means of livelihood must see that we owe it to the Filipino youth to have the opportunity of a world class education.

Because of the increase of enrollees and the implementation of the K to 12 program, the country will need to add an estimated 118,000 classrooms. 74,608 have already been constructed or will be finished within the year. The remaining 60,000 will be built in 2016.

The number of additional teachers needed are 130,000. By this year, 68,444 additional teachers have been or will be hired. The remaining 60,000 positions will be filled in 2016.  The sum total of classrooms built and new teachers hired exceeds the cumulative total of classrooms built and teachers hired in the past 20 years before P-Noy became president.

There were other numbers such as the second highest GDP growth in Asia; 7.8 million technical-vocational graduates of TESDA; net foreign direct investment from $1.07 billion in 2010 to $6.2 billion in 2014; and the PhilHealth beneficiaries from 47 million Filipinos in 2010 to 89.4 million in 2015.

There were also accomplishments expressed in non-numbers like the roads and bridges finally being built by a revamped DPWH, the modernization of the Armed Forces, and the transformation of Pagasa.

In the part about priority legislation, P-Noy stressed the urgency of passing the Bangsamoro Basic Law. There was a video testimonial from two MILF combatants. The video showed the declaration of martial law by Marcos. Here is the English translation of the  testimonial of Nadjieb Sanguila on why he joined the MILF:

“The injustice during that period was indescribable. Because it was Martial Law, they saw us Moros as mere animals. We were being killed and massacred with no remorse. My family was among the victims of those massacred by the soldiers. This is what hurts the most; this is why we are here today. We joined the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to fight for our rights.”

In his first SONA, P-Noy asked us to begin the change. The past five years have shown us what Daang Matuwid can accomplish in realizing the vision of a country where each Filipino has the opportunity for a life of human dignity.

In his last SONA, P-Noy reminded us that the past five years is only the beginning of the path to a Philippines standing as one of the developed nations in the world.

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