Category: Online Research

DATA A DAY: The Ombudsman and the Executive branch

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

THE PORK BARREL SCANDAL has gotten quite a lot of attention from several government institutions. On Thursday, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee resumes its probe into the scandal, while the Justice Department and the Office of the Ombudsman conduct their own investigations.

With the gush of data coming out of all the investigations into the scandal, many who are unfamiliar with the structure of government have been left wondering which agency reports to whom, and whether these institutions are working or coordinating their probes.

For today’s DATA A DAY:

TRUE OR FALSE: The Office of the Ombudsman is under the control of the Executive branch of the government.

Check out the answer to today’s question by visiting the Data A Day site, or just browse through the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics Online website.

DATA A DAY: Gifts during holidays

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

THE HOLIDAYS are over (even Valentines, if you wish to consider that one), but there’s a touchy question for Filipinos who simply love to give and receive goodies: When may public officials receive gifts?

Public officials, of course, are supposed to insulate themselves from the monetary or financial influences of any sector. This way, they would focus only on delivering services to the majority who do not have any financial or economic clout. This way too, their decisions or recommendations are not swayed by such considerations.

But what about those holidays that Filipinos simply love? May public officials receive gifts during the Christmas season? If they are, is there a limit to the value of the gifts?

For today’s Data a Day:

TRUE OR FALSE: Public officials may receive gifts on holidays in the course of performing their duties.

For the answer to that question, just visit the Data a Day website, or go to the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics online site.

DATA A DAY: Voting as a right and a responsiblity

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

TIME AND AGAIN, we have had the issue thrown back at our face: If we have so many complaints about our politicians, why do we keep electing them into office?

But there is a corollary question here as well: If we have so many complaints about our politicians, then why is it that so many of us do not even bother to cast our vote? It’s a startling but valid question for a country that, two decades ago, was still trapped in a dictatorship.

Data from the Commission on Elections show that a large number of Filipinos do not bother to go to the voting precincts. This, even though elections have always been described as the favorite past time of Filipinos. Elections in the Philippines, after all, are a sort of fiesta, where democracy dictates that even clowns and jesters can run for public office. Even intelligent clowns.

So now our Data a Day question:

On the average, how many registered Filipinos bother to go out and vote?

For a quick answer to that question, just visit our Data a Day website, or go to the PCIJ’s MoneyPolitics Online site.

DATA A DAY: Trends in remittances

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

WE’RE CERTAIN that everybody already knows this: Remittances from overseas Filipino workers always peak during the Christmas season, when dollars, euros, and dinars flood the country to fund the seasonal buying and eating sprees.

So we tweaked today’s Data A Day question a bit:

At what month of the year do OFW remittances usually dip? And if Christmas season is the peak for remittances, what month comes in at a close second?

A bit of logic and horse-sense would help you answer those two questions. However, if all else fails, you may always visit the MoneyPolitics Online database, or check out the website’s Data A Day page.

DATA A DAY: Road rage

Ed Lingao Leave a comment

FOR TODAY’S Data a Day, a simple question:

What is the most expensive civil-works contract implemented by the government in the last 15 years?

The naughtier ones would probably start digging up pork barrel projects linked either to Janet Lim Napoles or to certain congressmen and senators. However, the one we refer to here is the above-board cost of the project, not the project cost plus the commissions and the ghost projects and the wastage and the cost of a Senate investigation. You get the drift.

Just a clue: The project involves the “improvement” of a highway to the southeast of Manila. An additional clue: The contractor was linked to anomalies and charges of contractor collusion. No major surprises there.

If you know the answer, check it out by visiting our MoneyPolitics Online website, or by going straight to the website’s Data A Day link.