PNP: Crimes drop by 64% in Duterte’s term

MANILA, Philippines — The crime volume in the country during the administration of President Duterte dropped by at least 64 percent compared to his predecessor, the late president Benigno Aquino III, the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced yesterday.

PNP data showed at least 395,920 index crimes were documented nationwide from July 2016 to June 2021, which is lower compared to 1,113,712 incidents during the same period of Aquino’s term, a decrease of about 64.45 percent.

Aquino, the country’s 15th President, died last June 24 from renal disease.

Crimes against persons, such as murder and homicide, dropped by 62.87 percent, from 458,367 to 170,168.

Property crimes, meanwhile, went down from 655,345 to 225,752, a decrease of 65.55 percent.

Mindanao registered the biggest decline in crimes at 70.90 percent, from 294,299 to 85,646. Luzon, excluding Metro Manila, ranked second with a decrease of 65.35 percent, from 369,824 to 128,142.

Crimes in the Visayas went down from 240,289 to 96,987, a decrease of 59.64 percent.

The country’s capital region, Metro Manila, registered a 59.32 percent decline from 209,300 to 85,145.

The PNP released its data after Global Finance Magazine ranked the Philippines as the least safe among 134 countries, with the lowest score of 14.8899 based on risks such as war and peace, personal security and natural disasters.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said yesterday the rating from Global Finance also included natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, which are beyond everyone’s control.