MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines ranked among the weakest performers in Southeast Asia on human rights, protection from state abuse and basic freedoms, according to the 2026 civil and political rights assessment released by the New Zealand-based Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI).
HRMI, a nonprofit organization founded in 2016, conducted its first assessment of civil and political rights. The 2026 dataset evaluated more than 50 countries across 14 civil and political rights from 2017 to 2025. It also provided annual data on five economic and social rights for 200 countries from 2000 to 2023.
The Philippines received a score of 4.6 out of 10 on HRMI’s Safety from the State measure, which evaluates protection from arbitrary arrest, torture and ill treatment, enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing.
The report gave the country a score of 3.1 out of 10 for freedom from arbitrary arrest, placing it in HRMI’s “very bad” category. HRMI said the score was the lowest among the Southeast Asian countries included in the assessment.
“The exceptionally low score for freedom from arbitrary arrest should be a wake-up call. Everyone should be able to exercise their rights without fear of unjust detention or retaliation,” HRMI Southeast Asia engagement lead Keshia Mahmood said.
The Philippines scored 5.4 out of 10 on HRMI’s empowerment measure, which assesses freedoms of expression, assembly, association, religion and belief, and participation in democratic processes.
HRMI said the Philippines performed above the regional average on empowerment rights but noted that significant concerns remain.
Among the Southeast Asian countries assessed, the Philippines recorded the highest empowerment score, followed by Malaysia with 5.1, Thailand with 4.8, Singapore with 4.5, Indonesia with 4.0 and Vietnam with 2.9.
HRMI also reported that the Philippines fell short of the economic and social rights outcomes expected based on its available resources.
According to the group’s Quality of Life metric, the Philippines achieved 74.9 percent of the level expected based on its national income. HRMI said this placed the country below the Southeast Asian average and made it the region’s third-lowest performer, ahead of only Laos and Timor-Leste.
