Only 7% of Pinoys believe graft taints judiciary

MANILA, Philippines - Only seven percent of Filipinos believe that the judiciary is tainted by corruption, the 2009 Global Corruption Barometer reported.

The Global Corruption Barometer is a survey conducted by Transparency International with 73,132 respondents across 69 countries.

Transparency International is a non-governmental organization that conducts the only worldwide public opinion survey on views and experiences in corruption.

Other public officials and civil servants topped the survey, with 35 percent of Filipinos believing that they are the most affected by corruption. 

In the survey, political parties and the legislature followed suit, with 28 percent and 26 percent, respectively, of Filipinos believing that they are affected by corruption.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno attributed this positive opinion of the courts to the judiciary’s relentless efforts in cleansing its ranks.

Last May, the Supreme Court suspended a Quezon City sheriff found to have received a sum of money to enforce the execution of a writ without having made an estimate and without securing approval of the court.  

Earlier this month, a clerk of court was also dismissed from the service after she was found guilty of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and gross dishonesty when she was caught receiving money from a complainant in a legitimate entrapment operation and found to be remiss in the performance of her administrative duties.

A Zamboanga City judge was slapped with a P40,000 fine after he was found guilty of gross inefficiency and gross misconduct for failing to decide a number of cases despite a directive from the court to do so. 

Also this month, a sheriff from Calubian, Leyte was dismissed from the service for falsification of an official document and abusing his public authority.

The SC said efforts such as the Strengthening the Integrity of the Judiciary (SIJ) project to restore the credibility of the judiciary and increase public trust has been a priority under Puno’s watch. 

The SIJ project is the result of the Integrity Development Review (IDR) that seeks to eliminate opportunities for corruption within the administrative aspect of the judiciary. 

The IDR examines the judiciary’s integrity measures, identifies institutional weaknesses, and assesses the functions of the courts in terms of their vulnerability to corruption. 

The information gathered is then used to implement effective programs that will guard the courts against corruption. 

The technical working group and the assessment team of the IDR will be conducting a series of regional workshops around the country as part of its efforts to establish and adopt a corruption prevention program in the judiciary. 

The first regional workshop took place in Davao City last June 25.