Most Filipinos believe gov’t anti-corruption drive should be strengthened -commissioned survey

Most Filipinos believe that there is a need to strengthen the power of national agencies, laws, and mechanisms to fight corruption, according to a commissoned survey done by Pulse Asia.

The survey, commissioned by Stratbase ADR Institute, asked 1,200 Filipinos all over the country if they agree or not agree with the statement: “Pursuant to the Philippines’ concurrence to international agreements, the power of national agencies, laws, and mechanisms to fight corruption should be strengthened.”

The results showed 84 percent of the respondents "agree," with 36 percent saying they "strongly agree" and 48 percent saying they "somewhat agree" with the statement.

The response agreeing to the statement was high in Mindanao with 92 percent, Visayas with 89 percent, National Capital Region with 82 percent and Balanced Luzon with 80 percent.

The agreement was also high in Classes ABC with 92 percent, Class E with 86 percent and Class D with 83 percent.

Thirteen percent said they cannot say if they agree and disagree while three percent disagreed.

The survey was conducted from June 19 to June 23, with a margin of error of ±4.

Effects of corruption

Pulse Asia President Dr. Ronald Holmes presented the results in an online forum on Friday.  

He said it could be considered that “virtually, no one” disagrees with the strengthening of the agencies, laws, and mechanisms to fight corruption.

Holmes noted that the usual recommendation in the past, based on studies, was that the government must consider establishing a single, well-resourced anti-corruption agency which has fiscal autonomy and is insulated from partisanship and political interference.

He, however, lamented that past administrations did not heed the recommendation.

“Perhaps, this administration would take on and follow through,” he said. 

The survey also included a question asking the respondents to identify the top three effects of corruption on the public that affect them the most.

Sixty-seven percent of the respondents believe that corruption erodes trust in government services and public officials; 47 percent said there’s a normalized attitude towards corrupt practices; and 44 percent said it results in inefficient service delivery.

Forty-two percent said there’s abuse and intimidation by members of the government; 40 percent said there’s less public funds devoted to addressing social issues such as poverty, health care, and employment; 31 percent believe there’s less competitive business employment; 12 percent said there’s substandard infrastructure; and 10 percent believe there's a loss of money due to bribes..

Disturbing but not surprising

For Holmes, the 42 percent who said that there’s a normalized attitude towards corrupt practices is “disturbing but not surprising.”

“It’s a sense of helplessness, probably, but this is a problem, as I mentioned, it is disturbing because people already submit that corruption is pervasive and nothing can be done,” Holmes said.

On the survey question of what benefits would be gained if corruption is controlled in the country, 40 percent of Filipinos believe it will help in economic recovery and development, 23 percent said it would improve the plight of ordinary citizens, and 14 percent said it would lead to good law enforcement.

Eleven percent believe it would help in achieving good governance; six percent said it would lead to efficient and effective delivery of public services; three percent said it would help in the effective utilization of government resources; and three percent said it would further improve democracy.

“These findings lead us to hope that perhaps, if Filipinos truly feel the ill effects of corruption, that there will be a constituency to fight corruption that will snowball and be sustained in as much as our nation’s development depends on substantiatively consoling corruption,” he said.

Top concern

Aside from the commissioned survey, Holmes also noted that graft and corruption are always the primary governance issues, based on the 1999 to present surveys.

As an example, Holmes noted that when the late former President Benigno Aquino III assumed his post in 2010, the top concern for Filipinos was graft and corruption, tied with the concern for controlling inflation.

In Pulse Asia’s June survey, Holmes noted that fighting graft and corruption is among the top five national concerns of Filipinos and it is the top governance issue.

He said the same survey showed that of the top five concerns, fighting graft and corruption had the lowest performance rating.

“We see here that the approval rating of the administration is less than a majority--one of the three concerns where the administration did not generate majority approval-- which is an indication that people are plurality might be satisfied with the way the admin addressed the issue, almost an equal number are ambivalent…and about two out of ten Filipinod are not happy with the administrations performance in fighting graft and corruption,” Holmes said.

Economic Development

In his opening statement, Stratbase ADR Institute President Dindo Manhit also stressed the importance of addressing corruption in the  country’s economic development.

“The government must ensure that it establishes and?maintains the right environment to attract investors?and actively collaborates with the private sector, both domestic and foreign. Among the simple desires that we hear from them are transparency, accountability, and responsiveness. Stable policy environment. We cannot eradicate corruption but we should attempt to control corruption,” Manhit said.  

Manhit said that corruption and bad governance is a “key deterrent” to generating investments, creation of abling business environment, and sustaining econ recovery that generates jobs and livelihood for the Filipinos. —Hana Bordey/ VAL, GMA Integrated News