Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte

Ranking congressmen have decried as fake news the recent claim of Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte that the number of crimes now is higher than during the time of his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Fact-checking the Davao mayor during a virtual press conference Friday, March 7 was Assistant Majority Leader Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun and Deputy Majority Leader La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V.

“So, makikita natin na talagang may disinformation din ‘yung mga pahayag ni Mayor Baste. At sana mag fact-check muna sila kaysa magpakalat ng maling impormasyon," Khonghun said.

(So, we can see clear disinformation in the statements of Mayor Baste. And I hope they do fact-checking first instead of spreading wrong information.)

“Mas mataas ang crime rate noong panahon ni dati pong pangulong Duterte kaysa sa ngayon sa panahon ni Presidente BBM (Bongbong Marcos),” said the Zambales lawmaker.

(The crime rate was higher during the time of former president Duterte compared now to the time of President BBM.)

Khonghun, who chairs the House Special Committee on Bases Conversion, cited data from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“Hindi naman nagsisinungaling ang data…ayon mismo sa ulat nga DILG, noong July 1, 2016 hanggang Abril 2018, umabot sa 196,000-plus ang naitalang crime index noong mga panahon na ‘yon. At sa ngayon, sa ilalim ni President Bongbong Marcos, bumaba ito sa 71,500-plus,” Khonghun said. 

(The data doesn't lie...according to reports from the DILG itself, from July 1, 2016 to April 2018, the crime index reached 196,000-plus during that period. And now, under President Bongbong Marcos, it went down to just 71,500-plus.)

He said the Marcos administration’s success in bringing down the crime rate should be acknowledged.

Fear of the law

Meanwhile, Ortega said the crime figures under the current administration prove that campaign against criminality does not have to be bloody.

“Nagpapatunay lang po na hindi kailangan na maging madugo ang laban sa krimen at sabi nga rin po nila, iba po ‘yung takot ka saka meron kang takot sa batas. Mas importante ‘yung natatakot ka, may takot ka sa batas dahil na a-uphold yung rule of law, saka wala pong state of lawlessness dito sa ating bansa,” Ortega said.

(This proves that the fight against criminality doesn't need to be bloody and like they say, living in fear is different from having fear of the law. The latter is more important because the rule of law is upheld and there is no state of lawlessness here in our country.)

In a statement last month, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said crimes in the country decreased despite recent viral social media videos of certain incidents.  

He said the PNP recorded 3,528 cases of focus crimes from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14, 2025, down 26.76 percent from 4,817 cases in the same period last year.

“Crimes may seem more visible because they go viral on social media, but what’s crucial is that the same platforms help speed up investigations and bring criminals to justice. We encourage responsible reporting - use social media as a tool for safety, not panic,” Marbil said.

Focus crimes include theft, robbery, rape, murder, homicide, physical injury, and ‘car-napping’ of motorcycles and motor vehicles.