Gallop 2018 Report: Filipinos Feel Safer Under Duterte Than Under Noynoy Aquino

President Rodrigo Duterte may not be a so-called statesman, and human rights advocates are slamming him over the reported EJKs (extrajudicial killings( related to his intensified war against illegal drugs. But according to the 2018 Global Law and Order report, Filipinos feels safer today than that during the past administration.

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According to the Gallop 2018 report, Philippines an index score of 82, the score it has last year. Back in 2014, when Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III was still the president, the country had an index score of 76 only. The Philippines is at par with Australia, Bangladesh, Croatia, Iran, Israel, Mauritius, Poland, Romania, Serbia, South Korea, and Sri Lanka.

The Gallop report was based on data collected from 148,000 residents in 142 different countries around the world, on how safe the citizens feel when they are walking alone at night in the city or areas where they live. Respondents were also asked if they have been victims of crime, and their confidence level towards the local police.

Singapore, which led the list last year, had the highest index score of 97, followed by Norway, Iceland, and Finland, which all had a score of 93. On the other hand, Venezuela remained at the bottom of the list with a law and order index score of 44. The Latin America and the Caribbean were the regions that had the lowest score on security.

On Monday, June 11, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that latest Gallop report only reflects the people’s sentiment that they now have fewer worries when walking alone in the streets at night. He added that the report is also a clear evidence that that the government’s campaign against drugs and criminality is really effective.



But aside from safety, the Philippines’ economy is also growing under President Duterte. Earlier this month, National Statistician Lisa Grace Bersales announced that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.8% from January to March 2018. This is the 10th consecutive quarter that the economy grew by 6.5% or better.

Contributed by Orlando Gagui