EDITORIAL - Stagnant response

Despite government officials’ repeated declarations of commitment to the campaign against corruption, the Philippines continues to slip in the annual global index on perceptions of corruption.

Last year, the Philippines fell by 14 notches, from 99th place in 2018 to 113th among 180 countries and economies in the 2019 Corruption Perception Index drawn up by Transparency International. In the latest CPI, the Philippines slipped down to 115th place while retaining its poor score of 34, with 100 points being the best. TI cited “stagnant” efforts since 2012 to control corruption in the Philippines.

Transparency International linked corruption to the effectivity of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the scourge diverts funds from essential public health care services. Describing the Philippines’ pandemic-related efforts, TI declared: “The government’s response to COVID-19 has been characterized by abusive enforcement and major violations of human rights and media freedom.”

Among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines ranked ahead only of Laos (134th place), Myanmar (137th) and Cambodia (160th) in the CPI. Apart from Singapore (third place), Thailand and Vietnam, Brunei placed 35th, Malaysia 57th and Indonesia 102nd. Those ASEAN rankings track levels of economic development in the region, which multilateral organizations have linked to corruption.

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, another group has linked corruption to efficiency in responding to the unprecedented health crisis. Australia-based think tank Lowy Institute ranked the Philippines 79th out of 98 countries in terms of ability to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Surely it’s not just coincidence that New Zealand, which was ranked as the cleanest country together with Denmark in the Corruption Perceptions Index, also ranked at the top in the Lowy COVID Performance Index.

Taiwan, which placed 28th in the CPI, ranks third in the Lowy study, while Singapore, ranked third in the CPI, placed 13th in terms of pandemic response.

The link is inconsistent: Vietnam placed second in the Lowy study but 104th alongside Thailand in the CPI. Still, clean governance always enhances responses to any crisis. These two studies highlight the importance of transparency and good governance in dealing with this crippling pandemic.