Iloilo listed 11th safest city in SE Asia; Cebu City is 8th

ILOILO CITY — After being labeled by President Rodrigo Duterte as the "most shabulized" city in the Philippines, Iloilo City recently earned the distinction of being the 11th safest city in southeast Asia, according to a survey conducted by Numbeo, an international online database.

Numbeo is "the world's largest database of user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. It also gives current information on each city's cost of living, housing indicators, health care, traffic, crime, and pollution."

In Numbeo's 2018 list of Top Safest Cities in Southeast Asia, Iloilo City got a 51.24 percent rating on its safety index to land 11th on the rankings, but another Visayan metropolis, Cebu City, got a better spot with 55.72 percent, at 8th place.

Number one on the list is Singapore with a rating of 83.77 percent, followed by the following: Valenzuela City in Metro Manila (74.79 percent); Chiang Mai in Thailand (71.29); Davao City (71.21); Makati City (60.44); Baguio City (59.43); Bali, Indonesia (57.54); Cebu City (55.72); Penang, Malaysia (55.00); and Bangkok, Thailand (52.94).

Numbeo's website takes into consideration the level of crime; crimes increasing in the past three years; worries about home being broken and things being stolen; worrying of getting mugged or robbed; worries of car being stolen; worries of attack; worries of being insulted; and worries of being subjected to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin or religion.

It also gauges the problem or people using or dealing illegal drugs, property crimes such as vandalism and theft; violent crimes such as assault and robbery, and corruption and bribery. It also looks into the safety of walking alone during daylight and during night time.

Despite Iloilo City's feat, Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) spokesperson, said it should not be a reason for the police to relax. "Yes, we appreciate such acknowledgement. But it gives us more reason to level up our services. We need to maintain our decreasing crime volume," she added.

Earlier, Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Western Visayas police chief, had told Iloilo City cops to work harder for them to be called "Iloilo City's finest."