Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday said the crime rate in the country has dropped by 60 percent during the lockdown period.
Año noted that from January 5 to March 16, criminal cases reached 11,004 but spiralled down to 4,479 from March 17 to May 27.
Since checkpoints were in placde, Año said the strict implementation of quarantine protocols has dissuaded lawless elements from continuing with their nefarious activities.
With the curfew hours also imposed, Año noted there were less people on the streets as roving police teams were on hand to maintain peace and order.
“So ito po ay magandang development sa larangan ng peace and order,” said Año.
Año also pointed to less fire incidents in the country as reported by the Bureau of Fire and Protection (BFP) during the lockdown.
Citing BFP reports, Año said 11,236 fire incidents were reported from January to May but numbers dropped to 10,236 or a decrease of five percent.
He added that the number of deaths in the fire incidents was also down from 283 to 162 when the lockdown was enforced.
During the lockdown, 54 percent of the 184,467 quarantine violators were arrested while 9 percent were issued warnings and the remaining 37 percent given fines.
Despite the relaxed quarantine protocols, Año reminded the public that strict rules will still be enforced to maintain peace and order.
The DILG chief that the less restricted GCQ remains a quarantine reasserting his call for the public to prepare for the new normal. (Chito Chavez)