Corruption in the Philippines

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Corruption in the Republic of the Philippines has a widespread problem in the country for a long period of time with evidence suggesting that corruption may have been developed during the Spanish colonial administration. [1][2] According to Philippines Corruption Report updated May 2020, the Philippines suffer from many incidents of corruption and crime in many aspects of civic life and in various sectors. Such corruption risks are rampant throughout the state's judicial system, police service, public services, land administration, and natural resources. Examples of corruption in the Philippines include graft, bribery, favouritism, nepotism, impunity, embezzlement, extortion, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion, lack of transparency, lack of sufficient enforcement of laws and government policies, and consistent lack of support for human rights.[3]

Perceived decline[]

Transparency International's 2018 Corruption Perception Index ranks the country (together with Albania, Bahrain, Colombia, Tanzania, and Thailand) in the 99th place out of 180 countries.[4]

The CPI score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 – 100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means that a country is perceived as very clean.

Transparency International-Philippines said some of the factors that contributed to the Philippines' (2.6) slight jump are the improvement in government service, and cutting red tape.[5]

A November 2020 Transparency International survey of nearly 20,000 citizens from 17 countries, mostly between June and September 2020, showed that more Filipinos are confident in the government's tackling of corruption compared with Asian neighbors, although they also believe corruption in government remains a big problem. 64% of Philippine respondents think that corruption has decreased in the last 12 months, while 24% believe that it increased. This was better than the average across Asia, where only 32% believe that corruption decreased and 38% said that it increased.[6]

Corruption in the police service[]

The Philippine's police system poses a high risk of corruption, with the Philippines National Police (PNP) considered to be one of the most corrupt institutions within the country. There are several reports of national police officers and members of the military engaging in criminal activities such as extortion, corruption and involvement in local rackets. Private businesses also report that they cannot solely rely on the support of the police and half of them choose to pay for private security. [7]

According to CNN Philippines, Police Commissioner Mr. Sombero was under investigation in a corruption case for allegedly facilitating a PHP 50 million bribe from gambling tycoon Jack Lam, who tried to bribe immigration authorities to release approximately 1,300 Chinese nationals who were working in his resorts illegally. [8]

Corruption in the judicial system[]

Corruption in the Philippine judicial system is also a major problem. Bribery and irregular payments in return for favourable judicial decisions are quite common. Although judicial officials are independent by law, rich and powerful groups and individuals wield control and influence over the judicial system and influence the outcomes of civil and criminal proceedings. Financial investment dispute often take an unnecessarily long period of time due to staffing shortages, lack of resources, and corruption in the court system. The low salaries of judicial officials help exacerbate the problem of bribery in exchange for favours. The judiciary is also criticised for making non-transparent and biased judicial decisions.[9]

Political nepotism[]

Further information: Political dynasties in the Philippines and List of political families in the Philippines

The Philippine political arena is mainly arranged and operated by families or alliances of families, rather than organized around the voting for political parties.[10]

Called the padrino system, one gains favor, promotion, or political appointment through family affiliation (nepotism) or friendship (cronyism), as opposed to one's merit. The padrino system has been the source of many controversies and corruption in the Philippines.

See also[]

General

References[]

  1. ^ Quah, Jon S. T. (July 21, 2011). Curbing Corruption in Asian Countries: An Impossible Dream?. Emerald Group Publishing. pp. 115–117. ISBN 978-0-85724-820-6. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  2. ^ Sriwarakuel, Warayuth (2005). Cultural Traditions and Contemporary Challenges in Southeast Asia: Hindu and Buddhist. CRVP. p. 294. ISBN 978-1-56518-213-4. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  3. ^ "The Philippines Corruption Report". GAN Integrity. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  4. ^ "Corruption Perceptions Index 2018". www.transparency.org. Transparency International. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  5. ^ News, By Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN. "PH corruption going, going, but not yet gone". abs-cbnnews.com.
  6. ^ Charm, Neil (25 November 2020). "Corruption still a big problem — survey | BusinessWorld". BusinessWorld. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  7. ^ "The Philippines Corruption Report". GAN Integrity. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  8. ^ "Sombero Tries To Clear Name, Says There Was 'Extortion' Not 'Bribery'". CNN Philippines. 16 February 2017.
  9. ^ "The Philippines Corruption Report". GAN Integrity. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  10. ^ Coronel, Chua, Rimban, & Cruz The Rulemakers Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (2007); p.49

Further reading[]

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