OPAPP says Phl peace situation improving

By Jose Rafael Cesar Atencio

Wednesday 20th of June 2012

QUEZON CITY, June 20 (PIA) -- The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) said in a press release Wednesday that local and foreign academic studies show that the country’s peace and order situation is improving. These studies are the 2012 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace and The Pulse Asia's Ulat ng Bayan survey.

The 2012 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace ranked the Philippines among the top five nations that registered "improvements in peacefulness" while the Pulse Asia's Ulat ng Bayan survey results showed high approval ratings on the Aquino administration's efforts in "increasing peace in the country."

"Similar to other governance reforms being implemented under this administration, President Aquino's continuing efforts on peace and security are already being felt and recognized not just by our people, but also by the international community," said OPAPP Secretary Teresita Quintos Deles, who welcomed the results of both studies.

"These will further raise the public’s hopes for a just and lasting peace," OPAPP stated in the press release.

The 2012 Global Peace Index report stated that the Philippines’ high score was a result of improvements in the indicators: homicide rate, number of deaths from internal conflict, likelihood of violent demonstrations, and incidence of terrorist acts.

Moreover, it said that the country previously rated at moderate or high levels in the four indicators. Among the incidents that affected the ratings in the past years include the conflict between the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in mid-2007, the Maguindanao massacre in 2008, and the violence perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu in 2011.

The other countries in the top five ranking are Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bhutan, and Guyana.

On the other hand, Pulse Asia’s Ulat ng Bayan National Survey conducted on May 20 to 26, 2012, pointed out that 50 percent of respondents approve of the P-Noy administration’s efforts on “increasing peace in the country.”

Efforts to fight corruption in the government garnered the highest approval score of 58 percent, while fighting criminality and enforcing the law equally on all citizens got 56 percent and 52 percent, respectively.

“These positive developments show that the government’s efforts have been paying off,” Deles said. “We will continue to be patient and persistent in our work in the peace process. We also hope that more and more of our people will come to accompany us in these processes," she added. (OPAPP/RJB/JRCA/PIA-NCR)