Palace, DOJ dispute Duterte’s claim of rampant crime in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Both Malacañang and the Department of Justice (DOJ) sought to dispel the claims of former president Rodrigo Duterte that crimes are rampant.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that the country was safer under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“With due respect to former President Rodrigo Duterte- there is no truth to his statement that crime remains rampant in the country,”  Bersamin said.

In a separate statement on Monday, the DOJ said that Duterte’s comments during the Senate probe into the drug war on Monday, October 28, do not reflect reality.

“With utmost respect for former President Duterte's leadership, we believe that his perception of an escalating crime rate does not reflect the reality supported by concrete data,” DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

Citing data from the Philippine National Police, the DOJ said that crime instances under Marcos from July 2022 to January 2024 went down to 324,368.

This represented a 10.66% decrease from the 363,075 recorded under Duterte’s term from December 2020 to June 2022, the DOJ said.

“We have achieved stability and maintained peace and order in our country without foregoing due process nor setting aside the basic human rights of any Filipino,” Bersamin said.

During Duterte’s opening statement, he lamented that crime was again on the rise, with a drug den even being raided in Malcacañang complex.

“The incident which the former President cited- of a drug raid in San Miguel, Manila- is based on outdated information. In that case, one suspect was arrested, drug paraphernalia was seized, and his partner is now being pursued by law enforcement,” Bersamin said.