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What’s
the obvious conclusion when the Philippines keeps
turning up on the list of the world’s most corrupt
nations and the government keeps on saying that this
isn’t true, that it is doing everything possible to
minimize, if not eradicate, it?
On the
one hand, that government is either not telling the
truth, or that it is so hopelessly inept that it cannot
seem to monitor corruption taking place right under its
very nose.
And, on
the other, that the institution that conducts the survey
on worldwide corruption is itself not credible, or
worse, deliberately twisting the facts to suit its own
prejudices and biases.
Which
would you believe if, for the nth time, the Philippines
finds itself on the roster of countries where corruption
is widespread?
The
Philippines ranks No. 10 on that list of countries,
behind Albania, Cambodia, Cameroon, Macedonia, Kosovo,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania and Senegal, where petty
bribery is highest, according to the latest survey of
Transparency International (TI). More than 33 percent of
the respondents in these countries claimed they paid a
bribe to obtain a service.
TI noted
that the police as an institution was the most affected
by petty bribery, followed by the judiciary and City
Hall, where registry and permits are issued. The poll
also showed that “the general public believe political
parties, parliament, the police and the judicial/legal
system are the most corrupt institutions in their
societies.”
The
survey, likewise, showed a high level of pessimism on
the part of Filipinos on the government’s capability to
fight corruption. The Philippines is ranked along with
India, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands and the
United Kingdom where more than 70 percent of the
respondents expect the level of corruption to increase
over the next three years.
Transparency International’s Global Corruption
Barometer, begun in 2003, evaluates the sentiments of
ordinary people on the impact of corruption. The
barometer “explores how corruption affects the daily
lives of ordinary citizens, asking about the general
public’s attitudes toward corruption, the extent to
which they believe corruption pervades public
institutions, their experience with petty bribery, and
their sense of how the fight against corruption will
fare in the future.”
And if
there’s any doubt about the validity of the findings,
the survey was conducted by the respected polling firm
Gallup International with a standard margin of error of
+/- 4.
So what
has been the Arroyo administration’s response to the
latest TI survey showing the country as among the most
corrupt in the world?
President Arroyo has said on numerous occasions that the
administration is exerting all efforts to eliminate
corruption within the bureaucracy. She says her
administration aims “to stamp out corruption and set a
new standard of governance for our nation” because
“corruption saps the lifeblood out of our political
system.”
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the
administration is aware of these surveys and has always
taken measures to improve the government’s standings in
the polls.
In fact,
on the occasion of the observance yesterday, December 9,
of International Anticorruption Day, Foreign Affairs
Secretary Alberto Romulo reaffirmed the Philippine
government’s commitment “as a state party to faithfully
implement the provisions of the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption [UNCAC].” The UNCAC, which
came into effect in December 2005, represents a
universally accepted comprehensive platform for fighting
corruption, and is the first legally binding
international anticorruption instrument.
But has
the Philippine government made significant headway in
reducing corruption and in bringing grafters to the bar
of justice?
From
where we stand, the reality on the ground stands at
loggerheads with the official rhetoric, and a
substantial part of the national budget—up to a fourth,
according to the World Bank—continues to end up in
private pockets. The opposition has compiled a long list
of alleged corrupt deals under the Arroyo
administration, yet, it doesn’t look like the Office of
the Ombudsman or the Presidential Antigraft Commission
are in a real hurry to get to the bottom of the
shenanigans and to bring the malefactors to justice.
Corruption takes many forms, from petty bribery to
plunder. We completely agree with the view of the UN
Office on Drugs and Crime that “each act of corruption
contributes to global poverty, obstructs development and
drives away investment.”
It is
true that the damage caused by corruption cannot be
merely measured in economic terms, as it also
debilitates judicial and political systems, weakens the
rule of law and erodes trust in government institutions.
That’s why we fully support a broad approach in curbing
corruption anchored on complementary efforts by the
government, the private sector and civil society.
Nothing less will do if we hope to sustain economic
growth and achieve lasting political stability. |
