Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin refuted former President Rodrigo Duterte's claim that the drug-related crimes in the country is "on the rise again."

"With due respect to former President Rodrigo Duterte- there is no truth to his statement that crime remains rampant in the country," said Bersamin.

During the Senate Blue Ribbon Subcommittee hearing on the war on drugs on Monday, Duterte said that "it is unfortunate that drug-related crimes are on the rise again."

"Everyday, you can read about children being raped, people getting killed and robbed, and just recently a drug den was raided within the Malacanang Complex,'' the former president told senate during the inquiry.

''This clearly manifests that purveyors of this menace are back in business,'' he added.

Bersamin said "the statistics from the Philippine National Police (PNP) shows the complete opposite" noting "a widespread decline in crime across the board."

"We have achieved stability and maintained peace and order in our country without foregoing due process nor setting aside the basic human rights of any Filipino," he said.

"Further, the incident which the former President cited- of a drug raid in San Miguel, Manila- is based on outdated information. In that case, one suspect was arrested, drug paraphernalia was seized, and his partner is now being pursued by law enforcement," he explained.

"All of this shows that our country is safer, our people more secure, and our future more assured than ever before under the stewardship of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.," he added.

In a statement, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that "the peace and order situation in our country is not only stable but has also dramatically improved."

The Department of Justice noted that based on the report submitted to Marcos "the total number of recorded crimes from July, 2022, to January 31, 2024, has plummeted to 324,368, representing a 10.66 percent decrease from the 363,075 crimes recorded between December l, 2020, and June 30, 2022."

"Notably, seven out of eight focus crimes have seen significant declines, including a reduction in rape (11.08 percent), physical injury (10.59 percent), robbery (2.26 percent), murder (10.17 percebt), carnapping (23.27 percent), and homicide (0.91 percent). The only exception is theft, which experienced a modest increase of 4.79 percent," it stated.

"With utmost respect for former President Duterte's leadership, we believe that his perception of an escalating crime rate does not reflect the reality supported by concrete data," said Remulla.

"The peace and order situation remains a top priority for the Marcos Administration, and we are committed to assuring the Filipino people that our nation is on a path toward greater stability and security," he added. Robina Asido/DMS