By Cai U. Ordinario
Business Mirror
Sept 24, 2008

THE Philippines’ image as a good place for doing business has taken another hit, with the country dropping to 141st place—among 180 countries—in Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2008, which measures the perceived levels of public-sector corruption in a given country.

The index draws on different expert and business surveys, and scores countries or territories based on the degree of public-sector corruption as perceived by business people and country analysts. The 2008 CPI scores 180 countries, the same number as the 2007 CPI, on a scale from zero, which means highly corrupt, to 10, which means highly clean.

In the survey, the Philippines garnered a CPI score of 2.3, placing it at a lower 141st place from 131st place in 2007. In Asia and the Pacific, the Philippines ranked 25th out of 32 economies.

“Across the globe, stronger institutions of oversight, firm legal frameworks and more vigilant regulation will ensure lower levels of corruption, allowing more meaningful participation for all people in their societies, stronger development outcomes and a better quality of life for marginalized communities,” TI said in a statement.

The report added: “Overall, corruption and lack of transparency, particularly in political financing, clearly remain serious challenges across the region. Out of 32 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region included in [the] 2008 CPI, 22 scored below 5, indicating a serious corruption problem in the public sector. Only 10 countries scored above 5.”

The Philippines is ranked 141st along with three other countries—Yemen, Cameroon and Iran. In 2007 the country ranked 131st with Burundi, the Honduras, Iran, Libya, Nepal and Yemen.

Worldwide, Denmark, Sweden and New Zealand were ranked 1st, with a CPI score of 9.3; followed by Singapore, ranked 4th, with a score of 9.2; and Finland and Switzerland, tied at 5th place, with a CPI score of 9.0.

The lowest were Somalia, ranked 180th, with a CPI score of 1.0; Guinea, Sudan and Chad, ranked 173rd, with a score of 1.6; and Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both ranked 171st, with a CPI score of 1.7.

In a statement, TI said that the 2008 CPI highlighted the link between poverty, failed institutions, and rampant graft as many poor countries showed the highest levels of corruption.

Transparency International also said that other backsliders in the 2008 CPI indicate that oversight mechanisms to curb corruption are still weak and are at risk among rich nations.

The organization said that poorer countries are often plagued by corrupt judiciaries and ineffective parliamentary oversight, while wealthy countries showed evidence of insufficient regulation of the private sector in terms of addressing overseas bribery by their countries, and weak oversight of financial institutions and transactions.

“In the poorest countries, corruption levels can mean the difference between life and death, when money for hospitals or clean water is in play. The continuing high levels of corruption and poverty plaguing many of the world’s societies amount to an ongoing humanitarian disaster and cannot be tolerated. But even in more privileged countries, with enforcement disturbingly uneven, a tougher approach to tackling corruption is needed,” said Transparency International Chairperson Huguette Labelle.

Further, TI said low-income countries where corruption is perceived to be at its highest, jeopardize their chances of meeting the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The organization said that due to this, efforts to curb corruption among these countries should be doubled and requires more focused and coordinated efforts by the donor community. This, TI said, will ensure that development assistance will strengthen governance institutions.

Instead of austerity GMA indulges in lavish foreign trip. Ang tigas talaga! ” -BK

By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
09/24/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Join the Arroyo administration and see the world.

This may well be the slogan of Malacañang, which is seeking an additional allocation of at least P1 billion for travel in the proposed P1.4-trillion national budget for 2009.

Malacañang is pushing the amount of P7.7 billion—up from P6.7 billion in the current budget, representing a 14.9-percent increase—to cover the travel expenses of 26 government agencies, according to a budget analysis prepared by the minority bloc at the House of Representatives. A copy of the 13-page document was given to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

But opposition Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City raised the suspicion that the increase in the travel budget could have something to do with the 2010 elections.

“We’d like the administration to answer why there is an increase of P1 billion in travel expenses when we should be conserving our resources,” Rodriguez told the Inquirer Tuesday.

“Will the additional amount be spent for the early campaign of administration candidates?” he said.

Biggest gainers

The biggest gainer in the proposed increase is the Department of Agrarian Reform, whose P470.2-million allocation was raised by 1,351.2 percent from the current P32.4 million.

The second biggest gainer is the office of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, with an increased allocation of P436 million from P408.6 million.

Curiously, Congress had the biggest travel budget—P728.1 million—in the proposed national expenditure program for 2009. The amount represented a 0.3-percent increase from the present P726 million.

The travel allocation is part of the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of every government agency’s budget.

Overall, the item is worth P781.2 billion in the 2009 budget proposal, or a 16.6-percent increase from the current amount.

In its budget analysis, the minority bloc questioned the increase of close to 17 percent in the maintenance and other operating expenses, considering that the Department Budget Coordinating Council had pegged next year’s inflation rate at only between 6 and 8 percent.

“The MOOE is practically the aspect of the government budget that is most sensitive to inflation,” the minority bloc said.

Losers

But if there were gainers in the proposed travel allocation, there were also losers.

The Department of Trade and Industry’s travel budget was cut by 18.9 percent, from P237.6 million to P192.8 million. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also lost 17.2 percent, from P99.6 million to P82.5 million.

The travel budget of the Department of Health likewise dropped from P236 million to P198 million, and that of the Department of Science and Technology, from P61.4 million to P55.6 million.

We, the organizations and individuals who have signed this statement, are citizens of this Republic alarmed by current political developments. We note that in spite of various protestations by political leaders from the administration and the opposition, the talk of a brazen attempt to extend the term of Mrs. Arroyo simply will not die.

Charter change to be initiated in Congress through a constituent assembly has seemingly been stopped in its tracks by the vocal opposition of many members of the Senate, whose two-thirds approval would logically seem necessary to convene a constituent assembly. Yet the House of Representatives, through the Speaker, and the Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments, has announced that it will be holding “public consultations” to elicit public opinion on charter change, whether for federalism, shift to a parliamentary system or such other excuse/justification as may later dawn on the proponents. Some legislators have been vocal in pushing their interpretation that “the Constitution requires only a two thirds vote of its members to propose amendments to the Constitution,” an interpretation that would make the Senators’ votes almost irrelevant in the process.

The current administration has swung violently on the matter of the conflict in Mindanao from rushing to sign the MOA on Ancestral Domain with the MILF to the abrupt cancellation of the peace talks, the dissolution of the peace panel and the attempt of Mrs. Arroyo to disown knowledge of the agreement; and now a relentless armed confrontation that is seemingly designed to goad the MILF and other groups into a combative reaction or a series of violent actions. The inevitable armed confrontations and deaths that will follow could be a ready-made platform to suspend the writ of habeas corpus or, heaven forbid, even the declaration of Martial Law. The Constitution requires only a vote of a majority of the members of Congress, voting jointly, to approve and extend Martial Law.

We declare our commitment to a just and sustainable peace in Mindanao. We will initiate and support all possible actions that will bring about an inclusive process to begin with ceasefire and return to the peace table.

We declare our united opposition (1) to any moves that exploit the Mindanao situation to extend Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power, (2) to any attempt to amend the Constitution before 2010, (3) to any attempt to change the Constitution through a Constituent Assembly, and (4) to any step towards declaring Martial Law.

We call on all Filipinos to be vigilant, to inform themselves, to organize with like-minded fellow citizens, and to prepare to show our leaders and officials the true power of our democracy.

Signed by: Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO)

Sign up for the petition: www.fsgo.org.ph