👋 Hey there! I'm TJ. I write about data products, technology, software, and economics.
I'm a husband and father, living in Singapore, and from the Philippines. I explore data engineering and accounting at Titanium Birch.
On Benford's Law: Determining import fraud risk using customs data
If you were to think of the first digits of a group of related variables, say, tax payments, it would be intuitive to think that the digits would more or less be evenly distributed between 1 to 9. However, it turns out that the exponential nature of growth makes it such that the first digits are more likely to be 1’s than any other number.
On Coffee Coverage: Starbucks store density in Metro Manila
Some people just can’t start the day without having a cup of coffee. By taking a look at the city-specific distribution of Starbucks stores around Metro Manila, we can see where the coffee guzzlers are located.
On Taxes versus Sales: How large is government compared to publicly-listed corporations?
Have you ever wondered how government finances compare to the largest publicly-listed corporations in the country? When the financial bulk of private entities outweigh that of the public purse, it may give rise to undue influence over regulation and legislation. Data from public company disclosures and Department of Finance can help us investigate the matter.
On Imperial Manila, Modernization Failure, and Comparative Advantage: A close look at regional accounts
With traffic jams and port congestion an all-too-common sight in the Philippine capital, there is growing sentiment that development should be moved away from the metropolis and into other regions. What does the data, particularly regional accounts from the Philippine Statistics Authority, have to say?
(Photo: Storm Crypt/Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0)
On the Effectiveness of Higher Sin Taxes (2014 Q2 Update): Losing Steam?
We update our assessment on the effectiveness of sin taxes with fresh national accounts data for the second quarter of 2014, and learn that sin taxes may be losing steam - smokers and drinkers may be having a hard time kicking the habit.
How are higher sin taxes faring a year and a half after their implementation? (Photo: Fried Dough/Flickr, CC BY 2.0, cropped)
When we first covered the new sin taxes in 2013, we focused on its effect on household consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, and subsequently updated it to reflect the 2013Q3 stats. Now that sin taxes have been in effect for roughly a year and a half and has even kicked it up a notch, let’s review national accounts data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (then NSCB), to see how it has fared.
On Pump Prices: Where can you gas up for less?
BLACK GOLD - In a time of risi’ng oil prices, it might pay off to be a little more data-savvy about where you gas up. (Photo: Patricia Feaster/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
What providers let your stretch you gas money for more miles? Where is it more economical to gas up? Data from the Department of Energy’s price watch can provide some data-driven answers to these questions.
Everyone has something to say about gas prices - it’s cheaper to gas up with this provider than another, or it’s more economical to fill the tank in this area than another. With data from the Department of Energy’s price watch, we can provide data-driven answers to these questions, so that you can stretch out your gas money for just a few more kilometers.
On the Economics and Data of Love, Dating, and Relationships
Last Valentine’s Day, I was asked by my former college organization to deliver a talk on the “data of love, dating, and relationships” as part of their Young Economists' Lecture and Learning Series at De La Salle University.
I thought I’d share the presentation with you and put this up for posterity’s sake. Hopefully, you can piece together what I was talking about.
I’d appreciate it if you liked, tweeted, shared, or +1’ed this post on your preferred social network, as well as shared your thoughts in the comments section.