EDITORIAL - Steady improvement

A jump of 24 percent is a notable improvement. For the administration of daang matuwid or straight path, however, ranking 105th among 176 countries – up from 129th place – in the latest Corruption Perception Index is still not much to crow about. The CPI, drawn up annually by Transparency International, placed the Philippines in the same rank as Algeria, Armenia, Bolivia, Gambia, Kosovo, Mali and Mexico.

The bright side is that the improvement has been steady since President Aquino was swept to power on an anti-corruption platform. The country’s 129th ranking in 2011 was also an improvement from 134th place in 2010. If reforms can be sustained and the momentum speeded up, there could be hope for a country where corruption has become a deeply rooted scourge.

While robust economic growth is possible even where corruption is a serious problem, the most prosperous societies tend to be those that have put a premium on transparency. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand tied for first place in the CPI ranking with a score of 90. Following closely were Sweden, Singapore, Switzerland, Australia and Norway. These countries were credited for strong access to information systems and rules governing public officials.

At the bottom of the list were Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia. Transparency International noted that the three countries lacked effective public institutions and accountable leadership. TI noted that Eurozone countries worst hit by the debt crisis were among the underperformers in the CPI, emphasizing the need to eradicate corruption in public institutions.

The latest CPI should encourage the administration to sustain reforms and intensify efforts to enhance transparency in the public sector. The year started with such an effort: Renato Corona was ousted as chief justice because of inaccuracies in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth. Rules to institutionalize transparency in the filing of SALNs, however, have yet to be implemented particularly in the judiciary and legislature. There are many other areas where transparency is weak. The CPI ranking should lead to more reforms.