Corruption in the Philippines is getting worse, with the country sliding a whopping 14 places in a global index released yesterday by the anti-graft NGO Transparency International (TI).
The Philippines, which was ranked 99 in 2018, fell all the way down to 113th place — with a score of 34 out of 100 — in TI’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index, a ranking of the most corrupt and cleanest governments in the world. The country is tied with El Salvador, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Eswatini, and Zambia.
A total of 180 countries were included in the rankings, with New Zealand and Denmark being declared the “cleanest” countries in the world with a score of 87. The two were followed by Finland (86), Switzerland (85), Singapore (85), Sweden (85), and Norway (84). Landing at the bottom of the list was Somalia, which earned a score of nine out of 100.
The report said that the Asia-Pacific region, “while often seen as an engine of the global economy, in terms of political integrity and governance… performs only marginally better than the global average. Many countries see economic openness as a way forward, however, governments across the region, from China to Cambodia to Vietnam, continue to restrict participation in public affairs, silence dissenting voices and keep decision-making out of public scrutiny.”
“Given these issues, it comes as no surprise that vibrant economic powers like China (41), Indonesia (40), Vietnam (37), the Philippines (34) and others continue to struggle to tackle corruption,” the report added.
The report suggests that “reducing big money in politics and promoting inclusive political decision-making are essential to curb corruption.”
President Rodrigo Duterte has often said he wants to uproot corruption in government but admitted last year admitted that graft had proven so widespread that it bummed him out to the point of regretting ever running for president. (Then again, his self-professed distaste for corruption hasn’t been enough for him to abandon his longtime allies, the Marcoses, whose comeback he’s largely been credited with, sooooo…)
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