Palace on corruption index: Philippines in right direction

MANILA, Philippines — The slight improvement of the Philippines in the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International shows that the country is headed in the right direction even as it serves as a continuing challenge to the Marcos administration to do better, Malacañang said on yesterday.

“We consider this result as both a challenge to do better and a reason for hope that the country is headed in the right direction,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.

Bersamin cited the administration’s serious efforts to digitalize the bureaucracy to streamline institutional processes and stop opportunities for graft and corruption.

“With the necessary transformational measures being put in place, let us be optimistic and assured that the government will not fail or falter in its steadfast commitment to effectively provide efficient and transparent public service,” he said.

The Philippines ranked 115th in Berlin-based Transparency International’s CPI for last year, up from 116th in 2022.

The CPI assesses the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories throughout the world.

The Philippines scored 34 out of 100 in the 2023 CPI released this week, up from 33 in the 2022 report, but still below the global average of 43.

Countries are scored based on perceived levels of public sector corruption, with zero being “highly corrupt” to 100 being “very clean.”