Palace defends PNP crime report amid recent killings

MANILA, Philippines — Despite a series of reported killings in recent weeks, Malacañang on Monday stood by the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) report that the country’s crime rate had declined. The PNP said last week that focus crimes nationwide dropped by 20.6 percent, from 9,506 cases recorded between Jan. 6 and April 5 to 7,883