DILG welcomes Philippine's 'good' peace and order index from Gallup

The Department of the Interior and Local Government on Saturday cheered on the "good" peace and order index the Philippines got from an international analytical study.

According to DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, the country got an "good" standing in the recent survey by Washington-based Gallup, a prestigious analytical pollster that conducts worldwide survey on people's views on their security.

In a statement, the DILG said the survey figures were culled during interviews done by Gallup in top 50 countries on the list worldwide of Gallup’s 2020 Global Law and Order Index.

The highest score was earned by Singapore with 97 while Afghanistan got the lowest with 43. The Philippines had a score of 84.

Año said that the 84% rating garnered by the Philippines is proof that the government is winning the war against criminality and drugs and that the people appreciate and recognize the significant accomplishments of the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies.

“It is very reassuring for us working in the government knowing that the people feel safe in their homes and on the streets. Itong 84% rating na nakuha ng Pilipinas na kumakatawan sa tiwala ng mga Pilipino ay magsisilbing inspirasyon at hamon para sa pamahalaan,” Año said.

He added that law-enforcement's goal now its to "sustain this rating in the long run para sa mas ligtas na mamamayan at mas ligtas na Pilipinas."

The survey, conducted by Gallup from Oct. 8 to Oct. 24 in 2019, found that at least 80 percent of 2,090 Filipinos interviewed face-to-face or 8 out of 10 Filipinos felt secure, based on their own experiences with crime and law enforcement.

Gallup recently released the 2020 Global Law and Order report, measuring the people’s security and their personal experiences with crime and law enforcement, listing the Philippines among the Top 50 nations in peace and order on par with Australia, New Zealand, Poland, and Serbia.

During the interviews, the respondents were asked about their confidence in their local police force, how they felt about walking alone at night in the place where they live, if crimes against the property had been committed against them in the past 12 months, or if they had been assaulted or mugged within the past 12 months.

Año said that Gallup, being an independent and unbiased international firm, releasing data pointing to positive people’s opinion about the government's peace and order initiatives means that “there is excellent work being implemented by the national government and its instrumentalities.”

He added that based on data from the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, all eight focus crimes (Murder, Homicide, Physical Injury, Rape, Robbery, Theft, Carnap both for Motorcycle and Vehicle) within 223 days of the community quarantine period have declined by 46 percent or 17, 974 reported crime incidents from March 17 to October 25, 2020.

In a recent Pulse Asia survey, President Duterte also achieved a 91 percent approval rating while 84 percent or eight out 10 Filipinos have positive opinions about the work done by the Duterte administration in battling the COVID-19 crisis. —LBG, GMA News