Africans more optimistic than Pinoys about their govt's anti-graft moves

MANILA, Philippines - Residents of Sub-Saharan Africa, the world’s poorest region, are more optimistic than Filipinos about their government’s anti-corruption efforts. These were among the results of the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer Report from Berlin-based Transparency International, a global group that helps fight graft. Citizens of countries from Sub-Saharan Africa have given their respective governments better ratings for their anti-corruption efforts, with 72 percent of Senegalese saying that anti-graft moves are ineffective. These ratings are better than the turnout for the Philippines, a developing country which posted its fastest growth in two decades two years ago. Nearly eight out of 10 Filipinos believed that efforts to curb corruption were ineffective, the group’s study said. Seventy-seven percent of 1,000 Filipino respondents graded the government's effort in its fight against corruption as lacking. While 21 percent said Manila's efforts were effective, one percent said the campaign against corruption was neither effective or ineffective. Compared with other nations in the Asia-Pacific, the Philippines had the second-highest number of respondents which perceived that government's fight against corruption was barely making a dent, following South Korea's 81 percent. The number was even higher than the 56-percent average of respondents in the region saying their government's effort to stop corruption was lacking. "...The perception of government effectiveness appears to have decreased in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Malaysia, Panama, the Philippines, Senegal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela," TI said. Governments were considered to be ineffective in the fight against corruption – a view that has remained worryingly consistent in most countries over time. Next: Filipino public offices perceived as the most corrupt Filipino public offices perceived as the most corrupt Public officials or civil servants are perceived as the most corrupt in the Philippines, with 40 percent of Filipinos tagging them as most likely to have participated in anomalous transactions. This was followed by political parties, 28 percent; and parliament and legislature with 26 percent. Seven percent of the respondents said the country’s judiciary was the most corrupt, with three percent pointing to the business or the private sector as the most graft-ridden in the society. Media were perceived to be the least corrupt with only one percent of respondents saying media practitioners engaged in corrupt practices. Political parties and public officials were given a score of 4.0 by respondents from the Philippines in the level of corruption. Under the score card, 1.0 meant an agency was not corrupt and 5.0 as extremely corrupt. Parliament and legislature got a score of 3.9 followed by judiciary's 3.4; businessmen and private sector, 3.0 and media with 2.0. In the past 12 months, about 11 percent of Filipinos said they paid a bribe, above the 10-percent average for the region and slightly lower than the 13 percent for the worldwide average. "Results indicate that respondents from low-income households are more likely to pay bribes than those from high-income households when dealing with the police, the judiciary, land services or even the education system," TI added. Despite the prevalence of corruption worldwide, TI said most of the respondents did nothing to report the misdeed. “The general public does not use formal channels to lodge bribery-related complaints: three quarters of people who reported paying bribes did not file a formal complaint. About half of bribery victims interviewed did not see existing complaint mechanisms as effective. This view was consistent regardless of gender, education, or age," the group said. These findings have prompted the business sector to warn that corruption would further exacerbate the adverse impact of the global crisis on the country. Alberto Lim, Makati Business Club executive director, said that the Arroyo administration is ranked the second-most corrupt administration in the Philippines, after the Marcos regime. “This administration is worse, although Marcos' is really major (in terms of corruption. Compared to this, [the administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada] Erap's is petty," said Lim in an interview. “The list of [anomalies] goes on. The NBN-ZTE deal, bribery during the impeachment hearing against President Arroyo, the fertilizer scam and others. Governance was one of the more important issues among investors that would prompt them to invest in a country or not. “At the economy's peak in 2007, we had $3 billion in foreign direct investments. That was way lower than Vietnam's about $11-billion FDIs. Last year, our FDIs dropped to $1.5 billion, and this year, it is seen to be halved again to $750 million," Lim added. Meager government resources, needed to boost the domestic economy and provide protection for society’s vulnerable sectors, are expected to be cut because these were wasted on corrupt practices. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ralph Recto conceded that the government must redouble its efforts in its fight against corruption. “Clearly, the government can do much more in terms of reducing wastage and inefficiency. You have to look at it both ways. The survey is based on perception and individual experiences. It may be partly true but I believe we're not the worst among our neighbors. But, clearly, we can improve," Recto said. - Cheryl M. Arcibal, GMANews.TV