Vice President Leni Robredo said data is significant in the crafting of programs that would respond to the needs of citizens. “We have always believed good data yields good decisions,” Robredo told youth leaders in a speech during the webinar organized by the Jesse M. Robredo Foundation on harnessing data and information as crisis response. “Data is the one which gives us the big picture. It allows us to see the real situation, how our actions and decisions reflect the broad strokes of the situation,” she added. The Vice President noted data gathering is needed to determine the needs of communities before the implementation of programs. Robredo said every initiative should start from “needs assessment and baseline setting” like what her office has carried out in its ''Angat Buhay'' program and COVID-19 response operations. “Metrics and expected outputs should be properly laid out to effectively measure the impact of what we do,” Robredo said. The lady official cited her office has utilized digital technology in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Robredo said technology has been instrumental in their ongoing relief work to help more people affected by the crisis such as the online donation drive to raise funds for the health workers’ protective gear, app-based delivery service to aid small vendors and tricycle drivers, and the instructional video series, dubbed “Bayanihan E-skwela,” to help teachers and parents in the shift to distance learning, among others. “Magkakambal ang data-driven philosophy at pag-harness ng technology (Data-driven philosophy and harnessing technology are twin response). We have seen technology allow us to scale up and speed up our efforts,” she said. “Technology serves us as an instrument of service to make bayanihan possible even during these extraordinary times. Technology allows us to reach more people faster,” Robredo said.