Crime rate down by 50% in last 5 years —DILG exec

The crime rate declined by 50% in the last five years under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Wednesday.

DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said the number of crimes reported during this period was 1.35 million, which is half of the 2.7 million record from 2010 to 2015.

“Since the anti-drug war started in 2016, statistics had already shown that crimes committed from 2010 to 2015 we brought it down by 50%,” he said in an interview on ANC.

“So from 2.7 million, more or less, number of crimes committed in the last five and a half years gone down to 1.35 million, “ he added.

Densing pointed out that Duterte’s drug war helped in lowering the crime rate as many of the offenses committed in the past were related to illegal drugs.

According to him, several laboratories of illegal drugs had stopped operation for some time and a number of drug lords physically left the country during Duterte’s term.

“It was only under the administration of President Duterte that it has stopped, it ceased increasing, we were able to curb it, a number of drug lords left the country literally, of course the drug labs stopped for a time,” he said.

Duterte's war on drugs has been heavily criticized both locally and internationally for its death toll, which human rights groups said could be as high as 30,000.

In April, the United States government said it found reports on human rights abuses allegedly committed by Philippine security forces  "credible."

Amid criticisms and investigations for possible violations, Duterte maintained that he has nothing to apologize for regarding his drug war.

"No apologies. Basta ang akin, tama yung ginawa ko (For me, what I did was right)," he said.—AOL, GMA News