The Philippines Ranks 51st Out of 163 Countries for Impunity, According to This Index
The abuse of power and the lack of accountability in a country are telltale signs of moral and democratic deterioration. And citizens in the Philippines are no strangers to this culture of impunity ourselves, having experienced and watched these events unfold from a micro- to macro-scale in recent years. The data checks out, as well.
According to the Atlas of Impunity report, the Philippines entered the top 60 for the worst countries for impunity, placing 51st out of 163 countries worldwide.
Impunity is defined as the "exercise of power without accountability, which becomes, in its starkest form, the commission of crimes without punishment." Published by global political risk firm Eurasia Group with David Miliband and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the report measures abuse of power in five key dimensions: unaccountable governance, abuse of human rights, conflict, economic exploitation, and environmental degradation.
“The atlas is intended to provide a practical and accessible tool to draw attention to abuses of power and press policymakers for change," it reads. "The report and accompanying data aim to shine a light on the norms and practices that perpetuate impunity and hinder accountability around the world.”
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the greatest level of impunity, the Philippines obtained an overall score of 2.83 out of 5. The country is said to be the fourth-worst country for impunity in the Southeast Asian (ASEAN) region. Only Laos at 3.05, Cambodia at 3.26, and Myanmar at 3.85 are worse on the list.
The report concluded:
"Most Southeast Asia states score well on the conflict and violence dimension, driven by low levels of violence both within and beyond their borders. The relatively low rates of export and import of major conventional weapons (compared to other regions) also contribute to this strong performance.
"That said, there is a high level of group grievances in Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia—countries where there are political differences that remain hard to bridge (Thailand), a history of social divisions (South Thailand and South Philippines), and increasing concerns over identity politics and religious divisions (Indonesia in recent years)."
Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen are the worst countries for impunity, based on the list.
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Among the harrowing statistics shown in the report is that the Philippines placed 20th in human rights abuses, 52nd in environmental degradation, and 63rd in unaccountable governance. We are also 56th in economic exploitation and 84th in conflict and violence.
Meanwhile, the top countries in the ASEAN to garner favorable marks in the report include Singapore, with a score of 1.5 at 128th on the list. It is followed by Timor-Leste with 2.15 at 103rd, Malaysia with 2.34 at 85th, and Indonesia with 2.38 at the 84th spot.
Earlier this month, at the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla, said that "there is no culture of impunity in the Philippines."
Remulla claimed at the time: “Let me assure this council and partners and civil society and reiterate, there is no culture of impunity in the Philippines. We are doubling our efforts to ensure that individuals who breach the bounds of the law, state actors included, meet justice."
