HOUSE leaders on Tuesday heaped praise on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. for his commitment to maintaining law and order without resorting to violence.

House Deputy Majority Leader and PBA Party-list Rep. Margarita Ignacia “Atty. Migs” Nograles commended the Marcos administration for its law enforcement strategy, which steers clear of extrajudicial methods.

“As a lawyer, siyempre kahit hindi ka man abogado, dapat naman you don’t take the laws into your own hands. You do not violate the laws. So nakakatuwa and congratulations to this administration for doing that. Kaya naman pala,” Nograles said in a press conference.

“We congratulate the administration of PBBM for the bloodless campaign on implementing laws,” House Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin said.

Garin’s remarks came after President Marcos touted the significant reduction in crimes during the first full year of his administration, compared to the same period under the previous Duterte administration.

The Chief Executive said these improvements were achieved “without resorting to legal shortcuts or short-circuiting the process or acts that subvert the rule of law.”

This stands in stark contrast to the administration of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, which was characterized by extrajudicial killings attributed to his aggressive campaign against illegal drugs, with many victims belonging to marginalized sectors of society.

Garin noted that while the former president’s intentions were good, the problem of witnessing people, including children and teenagers, being killed indiscriminately created a negative image for the Philippines.

She mentioned that Duterte’s “bloody” anti-drug and criminality campaign fueled impunity and endangered tourism.

“Kasi minsan kung puro tayo patayan, tinatanggalan mo ng karapatan na magkaroon ng boses ang maliliit na tao,” Garin pointed out.

Lanao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo attributed the lower crime to President Marcos’ background as a former governor of Ilocos Norte.

“When it comes to crime, as a President, you need to have a strong bond with your mayors and governors, and I think that’s one of the advantages or assets that President BBM has in this administration,” Dimaporo said.

“He has a very clean and very good relationship with our local chief executives and any problems at the LGU level, he tries his best to resolve,” added the chair of the House Committee on Muslim Affairs.

Dimaporo also cited the President’s commitment to upholding international standards in law enforcement and protecting the rights of Filipino citizens, serving as a positive example for the global community.

“I think that’s a general tone that he has, and it cascades down to the police, and with the good relationship with the mayors and the governors, he was able to achieve this very nice achievement which is to improve the statistics when it comes to crime,” he pointed out.

Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez underscored the importance of the President’s balanced approach in strengthening democratic institutions while upholding human rights and maintaining peace and order.

“We should be very clear that the balancing act the President mentioned actually helps strengthen our institutions, our democratic institutions as well, na pwede namang palakasin ang ating demokrasya, institusyong pang-demokrasya kasabay ng karapatang-pantao, as well as peace and order at the same time,” said Benitez, who chairs the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development.

Government data revealed a significant decline in recorded crimes during the first full year of the Marcos administration in 2023, with only 198,617 crimes reported.

This figure contrasts sharply with the 295,382 crimes logged in 2017, the first full year of the Duterte administration.

Moreover, index crimes have plummeted threefold from 107,899 in 2017 to 38,436 in 2023.

Index crimes, classified by the Philippine Statistics Authority as “serious in nature,” include murder, homicide, physical injury, car theft, robbery, theft, and rape. These crimes often serve as indicators of the level of crime in a particular area.

Additionally, incidents of human rights violations were halved in 2023 compared to the previous year, reflecting a positive trend in promoting human rights and safety under the current administration.