The rank of the Philippines in the 2020 democracy index issued by an international think tank group dropped from 54th to 55th but Malacañang asserts that democracy is still alive in the country.
According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, the result of the democracy index cannot be considered as a “major slip”. He insisted that the Philippines’ standing is better than its neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
“We will strive to do better. [But] that ranking po shows that democracy is very much alive in the Philippines – our democratic institutions are working. We have an independent judiciary, an independent legislative department and of course an executive department that is always a victim of criticisms.”
Sec. Roque assured that the Duterte administration will continue to work hard to improve the country’s ranking in this aspect. Report from Mela Lesmoras
