Manila, April 1 -- Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Tuesday commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) for its "stronger, smarter" policing under the Marcos administration which led to a significant drop in focus crimes nationwide.

In a news release, Romualdez said PNP efforts to improve crime prevention strategies and response times are "helping restore public confidence in law enforcement and proving that the rule of law is alive and working."

PNP data showed a 26.76 percent drop in focus crimes -- from 4,817 cases between January 1 and February 14, 2024, to 3,528 in the same period this year.

Focus crimes include theft, robbery, rape, murder, homicide, physical injury, and carnapping of motorcycles and motor vehicles.

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