PH remains among countries seen to be corrupt

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin | PHOTO: Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB

The Philippines remained among Asian countries perceived to have corrupt governments, but the “slight improvement” in the country’s ranking should be seen as “a challenge to do better and a reason for hope that the country is headed in the right direction,” according to a top Palace official.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin did not even try to downplay the results of the 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International where the Philippines landed 115th among 180 nations with a score of 34 out of 100.

But since the country’s rank and score was a point better than last year, he urged Filipinos to be optimistic and not give up the fight for good government.

The CPI ranking, Bersamin said in a statement on Saturday, is “a challenge to do better and a reason for hope that the country is headed in the right direction.”

Digital transformation

The top Palace official said the Marcos administration is already undertaking efforts to cut red tape and fight corruption and that is the goal of the government’s vaunted “digital transformation.”

“In line with the President’s clarion call for the entire government ‘to show in deeds, not in words, that it is deserving of the people’s trust,’ earnest efforts are already being undertaken to implement the digital transformation mandate of the administration,” the Palace official said.

He said the government’s digital transformation is meant to “streamline institutional processes and curtail opportunities for graft and corruption” and that the “necessary transformational measures are being put in place.”

“Let us be optimistic and assured that the government will not fail or falter in its steadfast commitment to effectively provide efficient and transparent public service,” Bersamin added.

The CPI score is used to assess the perceived levels of corruption in a country’s public sector by experts and the business sector, with 0 as “highly corrupt” and 100 as “very clean.”

Highest CPI score

The Philippines ranked 116th in the 2022 CPI with a CPI score of 33. The country got its highest CPI score of 38 in 2014, and its lowest CPI score of 33 in 2021 and 2022.

READ: A look at how corruption works in the Philippines

This year, Denmark received the highest CPI score at 90 and ranked first among 180 countries, while Somalia ranked last with a CPI score of 11.

Transparency International said only 28 of 180 countries in the CPI improved their corruption levels over the last 12 years, while the perception of corruption in 34 nations “significantly worsened.”