PHL drops to 70th spot in 2016 global rule of law index 

The Philippines dropped to the 70th spot in the World Justice Project's (WJP) 2016 Rule of Law Index that covers 113 countries and jurisdictions.

According to the WJP, the Philippines registered the biggest drop in the East Asia and Pacific region. "The biggest decliner was the Philippines, dropping nine positions to 70th," it said, comparing 2015 and 2016 rankings.

Meanwhile, "the biggest mover [in the East Asia and Pacific region] was Vietnam, rising seven positions to 67th globally," WJP said.

Two countries in the region made it to the top 10. "New Zealand and Singapore are the top performers in the 2016 rankings, ranking 8th and 9th respectively out of 113 countries worldwide," WJP said.

The 2016 index is based on more than 100,000 household and expert surveys worldwide or 1,000 respondents per country.

The performance of the countries was measured based on the following factors: constraints on government powers; absence of corruption; open government; fundamental rights; order and security; regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.

The scores range from 0 (weak rule of law) to 1 (strong rule of law). The Philippines' overall score was 0.51.

In comparison, the United States ranked 18th with a score of 0.74 while the Philippines' ASEAN neighbor Singapore, 9th worldwide, scored 0.82.

Nordic countries secured the top spots, with Denmark garnering the highest rating.

In summary, the 10 countries that received the highest scores are:

1. Denmark: 0.89
2. Norway: 0.88
3. Finland: 0.87
4. Sweden: 0.86
5. Netherlands: 0.86
6. Germany: 0.83
7. Austria: 0.83
8. New Zealand: 0.83
9. Singapore: 0.82
10. United Kingdom: 0.81

Philippine ratings

Below is the breakdown of the Philippine score:

• Constraints on government powers: 51st out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Absence of corruption: 56th out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Open government: 63rd out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Fundamental rights: 83rd out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Order and security: 77th out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Regulatory enforcement: 55th out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Civil justice: 87th out of 113 countries/jurisdictions
• Criminal justice: 84th out of 113 countries/jurisdictions

Constraints on government powers are measured based on lawful transition of power; sanctions for official misconduct; independent auditing; non-governmental checks, among others.

Fundamental rights are measured based on equal treatment (no discrimination); right to life and security; due process of law; freedom of expression ; freedom of religion; right to privacy; freedom of association, and labor rights.

Absence of corruption is measured based on reports of corruption in the executive branch, the judiciary, the police/military, and the legislature.

Order and security is measured based on the absence of crime, civil conflict, and violent redress.

Open Government is measured based on publicized laws and government data; right to information; civic participation, and complaint mechanisms.

Regulatory enforcement is measured on the effectiveness of regulatory enforcement; respect for due process, and the absence of improper influence, unreasonable delay, as well as expropriation without adequate compensation.  — RSJ, GMA News