The Philippines now ranks 100th out of 142 countries, garnering a rule of law score of 0.46 from the Rule of Law Index report recently published by international nonprofit World Justice Project.
The index score ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 being the highest and having the strongest adherence to the rule of law.
This year’s score is lower than last year’s 0.47, which gave the country a rank of 97 out of 140. In East Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines placed 13th out of 15 countries, just behind China and above Myanmar and Cambodia. The country’s score is also significantly below the region’s average score of 0.59.
The WJP Rule of Law Index is drawn from a “rigorous methodology” involving at least 3,400 experts and surveys among at least 149,000 households in 142 countries, covering at least 95 percent of the global population.
Countries are scored according to an average of eight factors, and the Philippines current scores decreased in five of those factors compared to last year. These factors are: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, regulatory enforcement, and criminal justice. Two remained unchanged, namely fundamental rights, and civil justice. The highest score for the Philippines came in order and security, at 0.67, a slight increase from 0.66 in 2022.
When the WPJ report was first published in 2015, the Philippines scored 0.53, ranking 51st out of 102 countries. In 2016, it dropped to 70th out of 113 countries, as the bloody war on drugs of President Rodrigo Duterte was unleashed. As the index expanded to include more nations, the country’s ranking fell further, and has been following that disheartening trajectory since.
However, if it is any consolation, the WJP report said the rule of law eroded in most other countries, with 82 posting index declines, while 58 posted improved scores.
The rule of law is an integral component of any modern, free, and democratic society, and as time goes by, it should be improving instead of retrogressing. The country’s steady decline in the WJP Rule of Law index should be taken as a red flag by our government, if it is interested in boosting protections for all and furthering the common good in Filipino society.*
