Fewer Pinoys give bribes to gov’t execs – poll

MANILA, Philippines - Fewer Filipino families give bribes or “grease money” to government officials and they do so usually only after being asked to, a 2013 survey commissioned by the Office of the Ombudsman shows.

Based on the survey, one out of every 20 families or five percent had at least one encounter with a bribe taker in government. The figure represented a decline from 2010 figures – two of every 20 families.

The 2013 National Household Survey on Experience with Corruption in the Philippines measured respondents’ actual experiences with small-scale corruption, particularly bribery.

The survey had 10,864 respondent-families of the total 21.9 million families nationwide.

The study shows that poor families pay a higher price for corruption because of their desperate need for basic services.

The survey also shows that bribe initiation is practiced more by families seeking basic social services than by those transacting other services such as securing registry documents and licenses, accessing justice, and paying taxes and duties.

Social services listed in the survey include education, health care, social security, employment, livelihood and subsidies.

Families who avail of these types of government social services usually belong to the lower income stratum, according to the survey.

The Office of the Ombudsman said the 2013 survey results were consistent with the results of the 2013 Global Corruption Barometer of Transparency International, which noted a decrease in bribe incidence in the Philippines from 16 percent in 2010 to 12 percent in 2013.

The report attributes the lower incidence of bribes to growing public intolerance towards corruption, as citizens are becoming more conscious of the ill effects of corruption on individuals, especially the poor, and on the entire society.

The ombudsman said it finds alarming that officials trusted to protect individuals from injustice are among the perpetrators of corruption.

Officials from government agencies involved in processing registry documents and licenses are more likely to solicit bribes compared to those offering other types of services, according to the survey.

Registry documents include civil registry and property registration, while permits, clearances and licenses include mayor’s permits, building permits, sanitary permits and driver’s licenses.

The ombudsman said there are more corrupt officials soliciting bribes than ordinary citizens offering them. The ombudsman said officials desperate for grease money may have become more brazen in asking for it.