The Philippines ranked 90th out of 126th in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2019.

It improved by moving three notches up from 88th place out of 113 countries in the 2017 to 2018 index.

Despite improvement in ranking, Philippines is still in the bottom of the regional list with Cambodia and Myanmar in East Asia and Pacific.

The index measures 16 countries and jurisdictions' conformity to the rule of law which are based on assessments of more than 120,000 households and 3,800 legal experts.

Denmark, Norway, and Finland were placed in the three topmost rankings. Congo, Cambodia and Venezuela were at the bottom of the list.

Malacanang Palace on Saturday said it is pleased in the improvement of country's ranking.

"The Duterte Administration has been tirelessly working on these since Day One and we are pleased of the Philippines’ improved global rank in 2019 (from 88 out of 113 countries in 2017-2018 to 90 out of 126 countries in 2018-2019) as a result of our initiatives. We will not rest and continue exerting efforts on this aspect," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo added they need the cooperation of Congress and judicial branch in enacting laws and to ensure "timely delivery of justice under accessible and impartial dispute resolution."

"The Executive Branch, however, cannot do it alone. The four universal principles of the World Justice Project rule of law framework, which include accountability, just laws, open government, and accessible and impartial dispute resolution require the support of all branches of the government," he said. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS