The 2021 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index ranks the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte at a miserable 102 out of 139 countries in terms of rule of law.
The latest ranking completes a 51 place dive in the six years that Duterte has mostly been in power. In 2015, the Philippines was ranked 51. That significantly dropped to 70 during the first year of the populist strongman’s rule and from then on has been continuously slipping. By 2020 the country’s rule of law ranking had sunk to 91st.
When it comes to rule of law in East Asia and Asia Pacific, the Philippines is now among the worst, ranking 13 out of 15 in the region. It joins Cambodia and Myanmar, where there is civil unrest and a coup.
The WJP Rule of Law Index is a leading source for rule of law data, which has expanded its coverage to 139 countries. It is based on surveys of 138,000 households and 4,200 legal practitioners and experts.
Although the decline of rule of law is a worldwide trend, the pace of deterioration in the Philippines in recent years is still noteworthy. The index says the country has gotten worse in the aspect of fundamental rights (from 107 last year to 123 this year), and criminal justice (from 112 last year to 120 this year). According to the WJP, even the factor measuring order and security deteriorated.
A concept as important as rule of law in a society that wants to be respected in the international community should be continuously improving rather than deteriorating year after year. With first world countries in the region such as New Zealand, Australia and Japan in the top ten, it should be a source of profound embarrassment for any regime that allows the Philippine justice system to fall to the bottom of the list.
Something has to be done about a rule of law ranking taking a 51 place dive over 6 years. If government is not going to step up to restore the rule of law in this country, can Filipinos do anything about it?*
