A Canadian travel insurance comparison firm has issued a formal apology and withdrawn a controversial ranking that labelled the Philippines as the least safe country in the world – a designation that provoked sharp condemnation from the Philippine government and tourism industry.
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HelloSafe, which had published its “2025 Safety Index” in early June, scored the Philippines 82.32 – placing it at the bottom of a list measuring safety through indicators such as natural disasters, healthcare, societal violence and militarisation. The higher the score, the less safe a country was deemed to be.
On June 19, the Department of Tourism issued a strongly worded statement criticising the report’s credibility and impact, with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco saying the index had “caused serious and lasting harm”.
“What was presented as an objective safety index was, in fact, built on questionable data,” she said, warning that such narratives could undermine the country’s tourism industry and livelihoods.
“Moreover, a thorough examination of HelloSafe’s websites reveals a focus on driving travel insurance sales rather than ensuring accurate safety assessments as it clearly lacked full methodology disclosure or identifiable data sources.”
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In a public apology issued on July 15, HelloSafe announced it had suspended the publication of the index pending a “full audit of the methodology and criteria”. The company acknowledged the backlash and said its intent had been misunderstood.
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