Marcos lauds fewer crimes, human rights abuses in first 2 months of 2024
President Marcos has commended the government’s uniformed men for sustaining its good performance in addressing criminality in the country at the start of the year, saying they were done without subverting the rule of law.
Marcos said this when he led the oath-taking rites for newly promoted officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Malacañan on Monday, March 18.
In his speech, the President said the 98-percent crime clearance efficiency recorded in 2023 was sustained by the PNP’S continuing crusade in the first two months of 2024.
“Compared to January to February of last year, there were fewer cases of theft, robbery, carnapping, rape, and physical injury,” he said. “And we have done it without resorting to legal shortcuts, or short-circuiting the process or acts that subvert the rule of law.”
Marcos also noted that incidents of human rights violations were “down by 50 percent in 2023 as compared to those of 2022.”
“It only proves that rules strengthening the fabric of democracy are not inconveniences but integral and indispensable tools in serving justice,” he said.
According to the President, the number of crimes committed in the country dropped to 198,617 in the first full year of his administration from 207,143 in 2022. This was also lower than the 295,382 reported crimes in 2017.
“Index crimes have gone down threefold in the same period. From 107,899 in 2017 to 38,436 last year,” he added.
Despite this, the chief executive said the PNP should not be complacent.
“Let me make this very clear: We should not be content with the current decrease in crime rates,” Marcos said.
“While the statistics can be counted, and crime incidents reduced, even in their diminished state, the disturbance they cause is still immeasurable,” he added.
President Marcos then urged the PNP to pay particular attention to fighting cybercrimes by using new technology, which he said impacts people’s welfare and national interest. (Aaron Recuenco)