THE Philippines was perceived as less corrupt in 2018 as its ranking improved 12 notches in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.
Transparency International, however, noted that in the Asia-Pacific region, where the Philippines belongs, there was "little to no progress on anti-corruption" because of "overall weakening of democratic institutions and political rights."
The Philippines obtained a score of 36 in 2018, an increase of two points from 34 in 2017. The country ranked 99th out of 180 nations, jumping 12 notches from 111th rank in 2017.
Its latest world corruption ranking is tied with Albania, Bahrain, Colombia, Tanzania, and Thailand.
The country's score is still below the Asia-Pacific region's average score of 44, Transparency International noted.
In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the improvement in the Philippines' ranking only validated that President Rodrigo Duterte's administration is making "significant strides" in promoting accountability and good governance in the public sector.
"In his quest to eliminate corruption in the bureaucracy, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has fired military and high officials, including his longtime friends and allies, launched a hotline for citizens’ complaints (8888), issued an order on freedom of information for its strict compliance by the Executive Department and cut red tape in line agencies, among others," he said.
"The President has truly displayed leadership by example and we expect to see further progress in our ranking and make the country’s score at par with the Asia-Pacific regional average," the Palace official added.
Panelo, however, admitted that the government cannot end corruption "overnight."
But he pledged that the current adminitration would work harder to stamp out corruption.
"Corruption, however, cannot be obliterated overnight for it has significantly developed within our country's system of governance through the years," he said.
"We see this issue as a constant battle which entails more work on our part but despite this and the challenges which confront the Administration, we commit not just to improve our country's ranking but to stay on track in combating the iniquities of corruption as we vow to end its culture in government," he added.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people.
It uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is "highly corrupt" and 100 is "very clean."
The top 10 "least corrupt" nations are Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Canada, and Luxembourg. (SunStar Philippines)