Metro Manila slips 8 notches in safe cities index

by Louise Maureen Simeon – The Philippine Star, 24 Aug 2021

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila tumbled eight notches in a global safe cities index as its ranking slid in almost all indicators, especially on personal and health security.

Based on the Safe Cities Index 2021 of UK-based The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the metropolis ranked 51st out of 60 cities, slipping eight notches from its 43rd ranking in 2019. The index is produced biennially.

From a perfect score of 100, Metro Manila scored 52.5 this year, a deterioration from the 59.2 two years ago. It also fell below the average of 66.1.

Denmark’s Copenhagen ranked first with a score of 82.4 followed by Toronto with 82.2. Singapore made it to third spot at 80.7. Completing the top five are Sydney and Tokyo.

EIU’s index ranks 60 cities across 76 indicators related to various aspects of urban safety covering digital, health, infrastructure, personal and environmental security, which was the latest addition to the categories.

Unfortunately, Metro Manila saw its ranking decline across the four original pillars.

It slipped the most in personal security, down 15 notches, to 55th with a score of 46.4 from the high of 74.7 in 2019.

This pillar considers how citizens are at risk from crime, violence, terrorist threats, natural disasters and economic vulnerabilities.

The EIU said the best way for a city to reach a high level of personal security is through its co-creation by the public and the authorities, which requires both effective local government institutions and the enabling of citizens to play a key role in enhancing their own and their neighbors’ security.

“Making sure that people feel being part of society benefits them. When people feel that they have a stake in what tomorrow will look like, they will make sure that today’s society is safe and protected,” it said.

Metro Manila also saw its health security pillar down six notches to 54th with a score of 49.9. In 2019, it was at 48th place with 56.6.

This measures how cities fare on the level and quality of health care services and infrastructure in the city. It was also based on the availability, access and quality of health care service, as well as life expectancy and infant mortality, among others.

Unfortunately, the already weak health system in the country was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which severely overwhelmed the system, prompting repeated lockdowns to avert its collapse.

EIU said even well-resourced cities have been nearly overwhelmed despite advanced infrastructure and equipment. It also underscored that marginalized sectors have been impacted the most.

“Developing countries should adjust their health systems to respond to growing non-communicable diseases alongside dealing with communicable ones. Protecting the most vulnerable is not just ethical in itself, it protects the health security of everyone in the population,” EIU said.

In terms of infrastructure security, Manila also slipped six notches to 52nd at 52.9 from 46th at 53.6.

This considers the built physical environment, measuring the availability, quality and sufficiency of existing city infrastructure and its vulnerability to man-made and natural disasters.

EIU emphasized that as cities try to expand infrastructure to meet demand, they will also need to focus on the governance of existing assets.

Metro Manila’s digital security also went down to 49th spot from 45th. It assesses the ability of urban citizens to freely use the internet and other digital channels without fear of privacy violations, identity theft and malicious online attacks.

EIU said the development of smart cities could be a boon to urban security in general.

However, of the 60 cities, only 15 have a smart city plan that explicitly focuses on cybersecurity of the smart city infrastructure or network. The remaining 45, including Metro Manila, either have an existing smart city plan or plans to invest in the next five years.

Meanwhile, Manila Manila performed best in the latest addition of the environmental pillar after it ranked 41st with a 65.9 score. It considers how the city has incorporated sustainability parameters into its urban planning to reduce carbon emissions and manage climate risks.

EIU said the pandemic highlighted a substantial impact on the environment, both on the good and bad side. While reduced travel has improved air quality in many cities, an increase in single-use plastics and medical wastes has been noted.

“Looking at the longer term, if anything, the experience of the pandemic will lead to more extensive and ambitious green policies,” it said.