EVERY year, Berlin-based Transparency International produces a Corruption Perception Index (CPI) league table which ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Yearly levels tend not to vary overmuch, although trends reveal whether a country is becoming more or less corrupt.
On this basis, the Philippines, sadly, is perceived as becoming more corrupt.
In 2014 we ranked 85th out of 175 countries but in the 2022 CPI, produced last week, we were 116th out of 180. This means that 31 countries are now believed to be less corrupt than the Philippines compared to 2014.
Transparency International brands us as a âsignificant declinerâ.
We agree.
Our 1987 Constitution, Article XI, entitled âAccountability of Public Officersâ, created the Independent Office of the Ombudsman. This office was given clearly specified powers, functions and duties. These included âthe determination of the causes of inefficiency, red tape, mismanagement, fraud, and corruption in the government and make recommendations for their elimination and the observance of high standards of ethics and efficiency.â
We believe that the Ombudsmanâs office is becoming less effective.
Publicity is a useful weapon in the fight against corruption, but we are not hearing much about what the Ombudsmanâs office is doing.
It is high time that the Ombudsman re-entered the national conversation.
For example, some time ago there was a government contract to purchase laptop computers for 68,500 teachers. The agreed price was P58,300 per laptop. Excessive said many. But, as far as I know there was no effective investigation to establish whether malpractice occurred.
If we are to win the fight against corruption, then our investigative techniques need to be stronger./PN
