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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Rule of law

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The good news is that after its poor showing in upholding the rule of law under the previous administration, the Philippines has posted improvement in this important gauge of democratic governance.

According to the 2022 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, the country’s overall rule of law score increased 1.4 percent in the 2022 index, with an overall score of 0.47 out of 1.

The Philippines is now ranked 97th out of 140 countries worldwide, rising five positions since 2021. But it remains one of the worst in the region – 13th out of 15th in East Asia and the Pacific.

While the WJP found that adherence to the rule of law fell in 61 percent of countries in 2022, the Philippines emerged among the minority of countries to see its Rule of Law Index score increase this year.

In 2015, the Philippines ranked No. 51 but dropped to 70 when Rodrigo Duterte became president in 2016. By 2021, his last full year in office, the Philippines dropped even further to 102 in the WPJ index.

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Worldwide, the index data showed that authoritarian trends from the pre-COVID-19 pandemic, including weaker checks on executive power and increased attacks on the media – continued to weaken the rule of law.

The WJP noted that COVID-19 restrictions disrupted justice systems and governments also exercised emergency powers that curtailed civic freedoms and bypassed transparency mechanisms.

The WJP reported that the Philippines posted an improvement in maintaining order and security.

This measures how well a society ensures the security of persons and property. The Philippines also improved in upholding fundamental rights and in criminal justice.

However, the country’s score for upholding civil justice registered a decline.

The WJP said that globally, the most dramatic rule of law declines have been factors associated with rising authoritarianism.

Freedom of opinion and expression was down in 81 percent of countries. While this factor rose slightly in the Philippines in 2022, dissenting voices continue to feel a chilling effect.

We share the view of the WJP that “rule of law is about fairness – that is, accountability, equal rights, and justice for all – and a less fair world is bound to be a more volatile one…Rule of law is also a key underpinning of democracy, which is faltering in many countries around the world.”

From our own perspective, the rule of law simply means that all citizens and those in government, including lawmakers, law enforcement officials and judges, are accountable to the same laws.

Hence, it prevents the arbitrary use of power and stands in contrast to tyranny where the rulers consider themselves beyond the reach of the law.

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