MANILA – Malacañang and the Department of Justice (DOJ) cried foul over former President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark that the crime rate has increased under the Marcos administration.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin stated that data from the Philippine National Police show that the country is safer, people are more assured, and the future is more secure under the stewardship 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 statement.
“There has been a widespread decline in crime across the board,” he added. “Moreover, 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.”
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, for his part, belied the allegations of Duterte, saying that the country’s peace and order situation has dramatically improved.
“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,” Remulla said in a statement.
“The peace and order situation remains a top priority for the Marcos Administration, and we are committed to assuring the Filipino people that our nation is on a path toward greater stability and security,” he added.
According to PNP, recorded crimes decreased by 10.66% or 324,368 from July 2022 to January 2024 from the 363,075 crimes recorded between December 2020 and June 2022.
Aside from this, data also showed that there was a decline in the seven out of eight focus crimes in the country, namely cases rape, physical injury, robbery, murder, car napping, and homicide. Theft cases, however, increased by 4.79%.
During his appearance before the Senate on Monday, Duterte said that drug-related crimes have increased under the current administration. He also noted about the drug raid inside the Malacañang complex.
“It is unfortunate that drug-related crimes are on the rise again. Everyday, you can read about children being raped, people getting killed and robbed, and just recently a drug den was raided within the Malacañang Complex,” Duterte said.
“This clearly manifests that purveyors of this menace are back in business,” the former Chief Executive added./PN
