The Philippine National Police (PNP) acknowledged a global report showing that the Philippines is the third safest country in Southeast Asia.
Gallup, an analytics and advisory firm based in Washington, United States, said that the Philippines secured the position as the third safest country in Southeast Asia in its 2023 Global Law and Order Report after garnering an index score of 86, trailing behind Vietnam (92) and Indonesia (90).
Overall, the Philippines was ranked as the 33rd safest country among 141 surveyed nations.
“We are honored and humbled by the trust placed in us by the Filipino people. The PNP remains steadfast in our commitment to serve and protect. This report serves as a guiding beacon for us to continue our mission of ensuring the well-being of our communities,” PNP Chief, Police General Benjamin Acorda Jr. said on Friday, Jan. 12.
According to Gallup, its Law and Order Index used four questions to gauge people’s sense of personal security and their own experience with crime and law enforcement. These were:
-In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?
-Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
-Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member?
-Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?
Gallup said that the results of their report were based on nationally representative and probability-based samples among 146,000 respondents aged 15 and older in 141 countries and territories.
The results were obtained through telephone or face-to-face surveys and have a margin of sampling error ranging from plus or minus 2 to 5.5 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
For Acorda, the results of the report demonstrated the police organization’s “noteworthy commitment to public safety.”
He said the report signifies the PNP has obtained “overwhelming confidence” in the realm of security and safety, and reinforced the organization’s mantra of “united service” to uphold and enhance its role in maintaining law and order.
PNP data showed that the number of “focus crimes”, or those considered serious in nature and occurring with sufficient frequency and regularity, decreased by 8.44 percent or 3,525 incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year. The eight focus crimes are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, theft, robbery, car theft and motorcycle theft.
From January to December 2023, the PNP recorded 38,230 focus crimes which are lower than the 41,755 incidents from January to December 2022.
For this year, there were 759 focus crimes from Jan. 1 to 11 which are 37.32 percent lower compared to 1,211 incidents from Jan. 1 to 11, 2023.
Encouraged by the results of the Gallup report, Acorda vowed to continue the PNP’s dedication to serve and protect the Filipino people and visiting tourists.
“The PNP considers this report as a positive beginning to the year, inspiring the force to continuously improve its efforts in fulfilling its mission of safeguarding the safety and security of the Filipino people,” he said.