PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) data show there was 7.98 percent decline in murder cases in the first eight months of 2017.
Police Director Augusto Marquez Jr., chief of PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), said 6,391 murder cases were recorded from January to August this year. The figures are 554 cases more than the 6,945 murder cases recorded in same period last year.
Marquez said the drop in murder cases nationwide is attributed to the PNP's intensified campaign against criminality, corruption, and illegal drugs.
"Before President Rodrigo Roa Duterte assumed his post, the murder trend has already ramped up to 1,265 incidents compared to the 803 cases from June to July 2016," he said.
Marquez said the total number of murder cases amounts to 8.41 percent of the total index crime distribution from January to August 2017.
The police official said that during the same period, theft is still the most prevalent crime, which makes up 32.65 percent of the total index crime distribution but noted that it has significantly declined by 30.53 percent as compared to the same period in the previous year.
Marquez issued the statement following the increasing number of killings of suspects involved in illegal drugs.
Last week, PNP Chief Ronald Dela Rosa cited the improving peace and order situation in the country amid the government's drug crackdown.
He even called the critics of the government's war on drugs "ingrates" but apologized for the outburst days later. (VoxPop Philippines)
