Another solid testament to the brightening outlook among Filipinos as a result of decisive actions of President Rody Duterte to give Filipinos a peaceful life was the Global Law and Order report released by US pollster Gallup International.

The survey results placed the Philippines among countries with satisfied citizens in terms of public order with a score of 82, just a notch below New Zealand and two steps behind the United States. Singapore was rated the most orderly nation with a 97 score.

Gallup asked respondents in the global survey: In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force? Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live? Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member? Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?

The improved sentiment among Filipinos was also reflected in a survey of the same authoritative firm showing Filipinos were the third happiest people in the world scoring a plus 84, only behind Colombia and Fiji.

Filipinos also ranked fifth in economic optimism as 42 percent of Filipinos expressed belief they have better economic prospects in 2018.

The Gallup poll also affirmed the results of a survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showing 59 percent of Filipino answering yes to the statement, “In this neighborhood, people are usually afraid that robbers might break into their houses.

Identical to the Gallup poll questions asked in the survey was whether Filipinos are afraid that robbers might break into their homes; to walk in the streets at night because it is not safe and whether there are many drug addicts in the neighborhood.

The SWS survey also showed the average for last year was a lower 57 percent on fear of burglary from 60.3 percent average in 2016.

The survey also showed 49.8 percent annual average fear of unsafe streets for 2017 was also an improvement from the 50.5 percent annual average in 2016.

The 44.8 percent 2017 average on the presence of many drug addicts in their community for last year was 11.5 points below the record-high 56.3 percent annual average in 2016. It was also the lowest since the 42 percent annual average in 2012.

The improvement in the perception of public order in the country was also admitted by a United States State Department official who said the US government, while cautiously optimistic on Rody’s war on drugs, will support the campaign.

James Walsh, a deputy assistant state secretary in the international narcotics and law enforcement bureau, noted positive signs in the war on drugs and that the United States remains supportive of the Philippines’ effort in the campaign.

“Many folks have been tracking the extrajudicial killings (EJK) in the Philippines and the trends are going down, so there is some encouragement that we are seeing in some of our human rights training working,” he added.

The EJK allegations were debunked as mostly the result of critics of Rody hyping the numbers of supposed summary killings that range from 12,000 to 14,000 depending on the critics hurling the allegation.

The usual critics of Rody and rights groups then use the bloated figures to prod the United Nations (UN) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to probe the cooked-up allegations.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) released figures showing the actual number of drug suspects killed in anti-narcotics operation at a little over 4,000 which was far lower than the numbers being used such as in the ICC complaint.

Hard numbers from credible institutions such as Gallup confirmed Rody’s conviction that by restoring public order, Filipinos regain their confidence in government.