From left to right: Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, former president Rodrigo Duterte,  Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez (Facebook)

Co-chairmen of the House quad-committee (quad-comm) have come out to debunk former president Rodrigo Duterte's claim that criminality worsened during the current Marcos administration compared to his tenure. 

Presenting figures to the contrary were quad-comm overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and co-chairman Santa Rosa City lone district Rep. Dan Fernandez. 

Noting that official Philippine National Police (PNP) data does not support Duterte’s claim, Fernandez said: “Nabudol na naman tayo. Malinaw na mas mababa ang krimen ngayon kumpara noong panahon ng dating administrasyon." 

(We were fooled again. Clearly there are fewer crimes now compared to the previous administration.) 

President Marcos took over from Duterte in June 2022. 

Citing a PNP report, Fernandez said index crimes from July 1, 2022 to July 28, 2024 dropped to 83,059 from 217,830 during the same period in the first two years of Duterte’s term from 2016 to 2018, or a decrease of 61.87 percent. 

Cases of murder, homicide, physical injuries, and rape decreased by 55.69 percent; while the number of cases of robbery, theft, car theft, and other crimes against property fell by 66.81 to 41,420 from 124,799 during the same comparative periods, he said. 

The Laguna solon also said crime clearance efficiency increased by 27.13 percent while the crime solution efficiency rate rose by 10.28 percent, as per the PNP report. 

For his part, Barbers, said the PNP also reported drug seizures worth P35.6 billion and the arrest of 122,309 drug suspects. 

Comparatively 'bloodless' 

Barbers and Fernandez said the Marcos administration’s campaign against illegal drugs, unlike Duterte’s anti-drug war, is comparatively "bloodless". 

“The present national leadership values and respects the sanctity of life,” Barbers said. 

Fernandez said the Marcos administration’s anti-drug drive “Is not likely to elicit anger, resentment and a desire for revenge on the part of our people". 

“It focuses on apprehending suspects and rehabilitating them, instead of ‘neutralizing’ them,” he said, referring to the language used by Duterte’s anti-drug drive implementers. 

Retired senior police officers have testified before the quad-comm that they understood the terms “neutralize” and “negate” to mean, at least in part, the killing of suspects. 

The terms were used by Duterte’s first PNP chief and now Senator Ronaldo “Bato” dela Rosa in a 2016 “command circular” issued to field commanders who were waging the war on drugs. 
 

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/29/abalos-takes-up-cudgels-for-marcos

Barbers said Duterte’s brutal war on drugs gave rise to more crimes. 

“Ang isang action ay may kasunod na reaction. Kapag pinatay mo ang isang drug suspect, lalo na kung nadamay pa ang inosenteng kamag-anak o civilian, malamang sa hindi, may maghahangad sa pamilya ng namatayan ng paghihiganti,” he said. 

(An action begets a reaction. If you kill a drug suspect, especially if you ìnvolve innocent relatives or civilians, more often than not, the family of the fatality will seek revenge.) 

“So, wala kang sinosolusyunan na problema, gumagawa ka pa ng bagong problema,” said the Mindanaoan. 

(So, you're not solving a problem, instead you created a new problem.)