Valentine's by the numbers: NSCB releases 'Sexy Statistics'

Using 2007 census data from the National Statistics Office, the National Statistical Coordination Board has come up with "Sexy Statistics" in order to help Juliets and Romeos find each other.   "It is Valentine’s! If you are a 30-39 year-old Juliet and your heart greatly desires a 30-39 year-old Romeo, your best chance is to go find him in Region IV-B (MIMAROPA)," the NSCB announced on its website.   The article has begun making the rounds on Facebook as hopeful singles shared the link.   The NSCB presents, in two tables, data to help single females find single males, and vice versa. According to their data, single females from 30 to 39 are most likely to find single males in the same age range in Region IV-B, where there are 230 single males for every 100 single females.   On the other hand, the NSCB says that single males aged 30-39 will have a tough time looking for a 50-59 year-old partner, but their best bet would be Region VII (Central Visayas), where there are 23 single females for every 100 single males.   Meanwhile, the National Capital Region and ARMM appear to be hopeless places for finding love.   While the figures include singles as young as 10 years old, the NSCB said it is not their intention to suggest that children would be looking for partners, but they only based their figures on NSO census data.   Singles react   "Really considering Palawan," thought Jean Chua after seeing the statistics. Twenty-one-year-old Chua said the possibility of finding a boy on top of an attractive job offer from an environmental group there makes it very tempting to move.   "If things don't work out here, I'll go there, save the environment and find a boy," she said, half-joking. She admitted that she already has a partner, and doesn't really take the Sexy Statistics seriously.   "I think I'll stay here too. We wouldn't want our love stories to end in tragedy anyway. Happy is good," one of Chua's friends quipped in a Facebook comment.   While some quickly shared the link, praising the NSCB, others were not so enthusiastic about the data. Some also found the correlations a bit strange.   "Wow, if you want a 10-19 year old male, and you're in you're 40s, you should head for region IVB right away!" joked 37-year-old Reileen Tan.   Old figures   It is necessary to note that the data is from 2007—half a decade ago, and it is entirely possible that those who were single then have already gotten married, or even passed away. The data also does not include information on sexual preference, so not every single person is eligible for marriage.   Admitting the data is not so recent, NSCB Programs, Policies and Advocacies Division information officer Patricia Rivera said the figures were based on the 2007 census as this is the most reliable data for the analysis. She said that when the 2010 census is released, they may produce new figures.   According to Rivera, Sexy Statistics is the NSCB's newly launched series to make statistics more accessible to the public. "This is to communicate to laymen, the statistics released by NSCB as well as others in the Philippine Statistical System," she said, adding that "sexy" just means cool, or awesome.   "The goal is to put it in simpler terms and share information in a concise way, to make it easier," she said.   Rivera said that the Valentine's edition is basically "figures of singles, who were never married."   "Mahirap i-cull out 'yung 15-19," she said. "Basically, we just looked at what can be done with the data," she said.   Wishing readers a happy Valentine's Day, the NSCB gave this advice: "Of course, finding love is not just about computing probabilities and knowing your competitors. Looking for a partner is an exploration of one’s values and learning to extend love infinitely." — KG/ELR, GMA News