Rexcel Sorza, IOL Correspondent

ILOILO CITY, Philippines, October 9 (IslamOnline.net) - The Philippines was ranked as the 10^th most corrupt country in Asia, said the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2003, released in Manila Wednesday, October 8.

The country improved from its last year’s 6th standing but still maintains its 11th rank among those perceived as the most corrupt countries in the world.

The Corruption Perception Index of the Philippines has deteriorated from a score of 2.9 in 2001, 2.6 in 2002 to 2.5 in 2003, announced the Transparency International, an international non-governmental organization devoted to combating corruption, brings civil society, business, and governments together in a powerful global coalition.

The country perceived as the most corrupt gets a score of 1 while the least gets 10.

In a survey of 133 countries, the Corruption Perception of the Philippines is 0.1 lower than last year’s, and this indicates that respondents provided a worse assessment of the country.

At the high end of the survey or those countries rated least corrupt are Finland (9.7), Denmark (9.6), New Zealand (9.5) and Singapore (9.4). At the bottom end of the survey or those countries rated the most corrupt were Bangladesh (1.3), Nigeria (1.4), and Indonesia (1.6).

‘Anti-corruption Drive’

But President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the report did not take into account the actions made by her government against corruption.

"It must be emphasized that this is a report on perceptions of corruption that does not take into consideration hard evidentiary cases or positive actions by governments.

"We may not have breached the level of perceptions on corruption in our country but we are surely doing something about it, which is not reflected in the report," she said Wednesday.

"Our procedural reforms and lifestyle checks are taking their toll on corruption. Our revenue agencies are registering increases in collections. The drive for good governance is inexorably moving forward and we are confident it will eventually have an influence on perceptions of our country," she elaborated.

‘Corrupt leaders’

Two of the country’s former presidents were toppled from power through people uprising due to corruption.

The now-deceased former president Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the country for 20 years under martial rule, was accused of raising billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth while in power, which the government is now trying to recover.

Arroyo’s predecessor, Joseph Estrada, stepped down from power when people massed up in the capital Manila during his trial for plunder.

He was charged with taking bribes from gambling operators and illegal drug dealers besides stealing public funds. He is incarcerated while facing trial.

A total of 13 surveys were utilized in the Philippines registering the perceptions of both residents and expatriates, including business people, academics and risk analysts.

The index provides a "snapshot" of the views of decision-makers who take key decisions on investment and trade.

The CPI builds public awareness of the corruption issue, and it draws the attention of the governments in the negative image of their nation that low rankings in the CPI reflect, adding another reason for them to address the problem.

Among the groups involved in the 2003 survey are the World Economic Forum, Gallup International, Columbia University, Economist Intelligence Unit, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, World Markets Research Center, the Institute for Management Development and the World Bank.

The ending period for the survey still does not cover events such as the allegations of the Jose Pidal expose’, where Arroyo’s husband was alleged to have pocketed millions of pesos from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp; the on-going lifestyle checks and prosecutions of the government officials; and Arroyo’s announcement of her candidacy for 2004.

The period covered starts from July 2002 to July 2003.