Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that there is no truth to the claim that President Benigno Aquino III slanted the data on crime in his State of the Nation Address on Monday.
 
“Hindi po natin sina-slant, hindi po natin ito sini-spin. Kaya nga po very categorical, very clear ang Pangulo kung ano po ‘yung period na kino-cover ng mga datos na binanggit niya,” Valte said.
 
The allegation stems from the President’s usage of 2011 crime rate data, where he said the crime rate went down, instead of using data from the current year.
 
Valte said the President was aware of current crime rates, but used last year’s in his third SONA because that one was complete.
 
“Kung gagamitin mong buo ang datos ng 2009, buo ‘yung datos ng 2010, buo ang datos ng 2011, ang 2012 hindi pa tapos,” Valte said.
 
Using incomplete data would not be fair, she said. “Ang sinasabi lang po natin dito, hindi po magiging apples to apples ‘yung comparison."
 
“Patuloy po ang pagbaba ng crime volume sa buong bansa,” Aquino said in his SONA. “Ang mahigit limandaan libong krimen na naitala noong 2009, mahigit kalahati po ang nabawas: 246,958 na lamang iyan nitong 2011.”
 
“Dagdag pa rito, ang dating dalawanlibo’t dalawandaang kaso ng carnapping noong 2010, lampas kalahati rin ang ibinaba,” he continued. “966 na lang po iyan pagdating ng 2011.”
 
Valte said that the process of analyzing trends depend on factors being studied, such as using quarterly data for the country’s economic growth.
 
“Nagku-quarterlies naman po talaga tayo, nagyi-yearly din po tayo,” she said.
 
The Philippine National Police has used quarterly data before to report crime rates.
 
In April, for instance, the PNP reported that the crime rate for the first quarter of the year declined by almost 17 percent, compared to the same period last year. - BM, GMA News